A Summer of Clichés
by A-Simple-Rainbow
Summary: The Hudmels decided to go to one of Europe's sunniest countries on vacation... Kurt was sure it wouldn't be worth it. He was so getting skin cancer. And it would be their fault. Nothing, nothing, would be worth two weeks of cancerous Sun. Or...?  AU
1. Prologue

Finn was snoring lightly, his face pressed against the window glass, and Kurt could spot a little trail of drool drooping out of the corner of his mouth. He rolled his eyes in mild disgust. Long rides made Kurt impatient, and this one was becoming a little too long. Granted, the scenery outside was absolutely stunning – a cross between green and golden fields, with scattered oak trees and some cattle every now and then. But it's hard to appreciate that after the longest flight ever. No, like, seriously! Hours on end! He felt like he'd lost all the muscles in his legs from spending so much time sitting down.

"Are we there, yet?" Kurt was perfectly aware of how much like a five year old he sounded, but he didn't have the energy to care.

His father looked at the GPS attached to windshield of the rental car and mumbled "Almost… Half an hour."

Kurt nodded and returned his earphone to his ear, while Burt and Carole resumed to talking about the days ahead.

Oh… the days ahead. Right. Those. The reason they'd flown to a different continent and were currently on a two hour drive. Family holidays! On the freaking beach!

It was bad enough that Kurt couldn't stay and enjoy his last summer with his friends, especially after winning Nationals, before he left for NYU – but he had to come to a different continent, and worst of all, it wasn't even something glamorous like Paris, Rome, Venice or… well, even London would do! NO! They had to come to Portugal – because it was sunny and had beautiful beaches. Sunny! Seriously? Kurt's skin was like ten shades lighter than a ghost's and they decided it was a good idea to spend two weeks' worth of family holidays on the freaking sunniest country in the whole of Europe!

He was going to spend two whole weeks under the blazing sun. No matter how many things you could think of that might help make it bearable Kurt was sure it wouldn't be worth it. Nothing, nothing, would be worth two weeks of cancerous Sun.

He was so getting skin cancer.

And it was their fault.

Well, to be exact it was Sheila's fault. Carole's best friend from work, had been to the place they were going to just the Summer before, and she had kept on gushing about beautiful beaches and beautiful landscapes and beautiful weather, and beautiful everythings! And of course Carole had just practically campaigned the whole year as if she was running for President of the USA.

Kurt woke up with a start as the car climbed on a sidewalk with a little thump as Burt parked it.

He looked around lazily. In front of them – like literally in front of them – was the ocean. Between the car and the deep blue sea sat only a freakily narrow sidewalk with a thick cord going through a series of wooden poles which Kurt supposed was their idea of some kind of fence to stop people from falling off the cliff. _Ok, so no safety measures…_

The sky was bright blue and the sun was high and blazing hot. _Skin cancer, skin cancer, skin cancer._

They were in a small parking lot, and opposite the ocean spread the town, made of small houses, which were all, and this is literally all, painted white with blue trimmings around the doors and windows, red clay tiles adorning the balconies. Kurt had to give it to this place, it was sort of cute, and endearing. But it was still not worth getting skin cancer for.

They hopped off the car, everyone indulging in a little stretching out before grabbing their luggage and heading towards the houses, as they searched for the right door number. It was the first door on the street, for which Kurt was very grateful (his bag was crazy heavy – but it was totally necessary). They knocked and a short, tanned girl with warm brown eyes and wavy bleached hair opened the door. She wore a crazy amount of necklaces and bracelets with sea shells and beads, and her clothes were light and flowy.

She smiled as she showed them around the house, which was… nice. It had two bedrooms (Finn and Kurt would have to share, which no one was sure how it would turn out), two bathrooms (one really small with just a toilet and a sink, so fights over showers were to be expected) and a small kitchen (which, thankfully, was equipped with every domestic appliance you might need, except a drier – for that purpose, the girl explained, they could use the balcony, and by balcony she meant terrace because, really, that was all that there was upstairs, save for a small room stacked with cleaning products). The living room had a dining table big enough for at least six people, a couch in front of a medium sized TV (the girl smiled as she told them it had cable channels and that in Portugal only the kids' shows were dubbed over, so they should be able to watch TV just fine) , and there was (_Oh my God, the relief!_) a small desk with a modem on top of it, which she told them was wireless and gave them the password.

The decoration was… well… lovely enough – it wasn't fabulous, but it wasn't tacky either. Well, there was the fact that it was terribly clichéd. I mean, all the decoration revolved around beach and sea elements – sea shells scattered around the furniture, pictures of sunsets o the beach, paintings of seagulls and little fishing boats – a little originality wouldn't have hurt. But, overall, Kurt wouldn't complain. He actually really enjoyed the color scheme of light blues, with a few details in bright red or lime green.

_Still not worth skin cancer._


	2. Teenage Dream

**So… I wrote part of this fic while actually staying in Porto Côvo, which is, imo, one the most beautiful places in Portugal if you want to go to the beach. I have a beach house very near Porto Côvo and I also have some family there, so that's why I know it so well, and have all sorts of nice childhood memories there. Me loves it, even if Kurt doesn't. (he will soon, though)**

**Please check out my tumblr http : / mbelohastumblr. tumblr. com /**

**There you will find photos of Porto Côvo, including some of the places I mention, and illustrations for each chapter I upload. I will post said illustrations at the same time I post a new chapter, whenever possible, so check it whenever I upload a new chapter if you like. I do have to say, though, I do a good job of drawing, but I have absolutely no talent when it comes to portraits so it won't look anything like Chris, Darren, Cory or any other of the actors/characters mentioned. **

**That being said, please do enjoy this entirely fluffy and silly thing!**

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He dragged his humongous suitcase over to his bedroom, choosing the bed closest to the window before Finn could even so much as open his mouth, and immediately began unpacking methodically. The wardrobe was small, but he managed. Well, managed in a way that left Finn about a fifth of the wardrobe free. Thankfully, due to Finn's lack of fashion sense, that was really all he needed.

Over lunch, which Carole had whipped up pretty fast, they discussed what they'd do that day and Kurt refrained from mentioning that, _seriously_, the inevitable conclusion of that discussion would always be "go to the beach". There was clearly nothing else to do in this place.

Burt and Carole decided to go for a walk around town after lunch, but Finn was too lazy and Kurt was afraid of the sun to join them.

True enough to his prediction, though, it was roughly three in the afternoon when Finn finally grabbed his rucksack and his beach towel "I'm off…."

Kurt's head snapped from his magazine, which he'd been reading on his bed since lunch "What?"

"I'm off to the beach…" Finn frowned at Kurt's confusion.

"At this hour? With this sun?" he scowled at his stepbrother "Come here, take your shirt off!" he instructed as he started rummaging through his bag.

"Huh… sorry?"

"You need to put sunscreen on, or you'll get a sunburn and trust me, you don't want that. You might not be as pale as me, but you're pretty white yourself, Finn. Our complexions won't do that well with this weather if we don't wear sunscreen. And you should always put it at least half an hour before going into the sun."

"Oh… yeah, thanks, dude." Finn smiled, grabbing the bottle and squirting some onto his hand "So you coming or what?"

"Are you crazy? At this hour? I'd fry out there! It's the peak of heat right now… I'll meet you there, afterwards… like at five… Just stay close to your cell, I'll call you when I get there so you can tell me where you are, ok?"

Finn chuckled at Kurt's obsession with skin and whatnots but complied before leaving, Kurt resuming to his previous activity, wondering why in hell had anyone ever thought beaches were good places to spend any time at all. It had too much sun, too much sand, and too much salty water. What in God's name could ever be positive about going to the beach?

It was four thirty when Kurt finally decided to get up, and ready himself for his first day at the sunny, sunny beaches of Portugal. He covered himself in SPF +50, before throwing on a white shirt. His swimming trunks were a beautiful indigo blue and were just about the perfect balance between tight and baggy. He felt incredibly under dressed, but, sighing, figured this was what spending your vacation at the beach was all about – dressing with the least amount of items possible. He almost grunted at the prospect of two weeks unable to showcase his fabulous clothes!

He threw his book, cell phone and wallet in his bag, grabbed his towel and headed off. It was just a ten minute walk from their house to the beach, which was, he admitted, absolutely stunning. There was a cliff, about sixty feet high and Kurt stayed for a moment on top looking down at the sand where people were scattered across, like little colorful and rather lazy ants. At five in the afternoon the sun wasn't so high anymore, and as such half the beach was already covered in the shade provided by the tall, beautiful cliff – an intimidating wall of jagged rock covered in moss and some other sorts of wild plants.

Yes, Carole's friend had been right, these beaches were nature at its best, barely touched by the human hand. It was stunning. _I'll give you that._

Kurt found the stairs, carved roughly into the stone itself, and as he descended he phoned Finn.

"I've just arrived. Where you at?"

"Oh… huh, left side of the beach, when you're facing the sea, and, huh, really close to the water… There's this huge ass family like twenty feet away with…"

"I see you." Kurt interrupted, having spotted his stepbrother, standing awkwardly, looking around himself with his phone to his ear "See you in a minute." He hung up and sped his pace down the stairs. As he made his way through the sand (which was still pretty warm from a day's worth of sunshine) he passed through families and groups of friends, all chatting loudly and happily. There was the eventual loner, sleeping in a towel, or reading a book with headphones on.

"Hey…" he smiled at Finn as he finally reached him, looking around "How's it been?" he asked, laying down his towel next to his brother's.

"Really cool… it's really hot, but the water's refreshing so… but you should be careful, cuz the waves are kind of strong, so… don't go in too deep."

"Oh, I'm not going in there! I'm not subjecting my hair to salt, thanks very much."

Finn chuckled and laid back down on his towel where he'd been playing angry birds on his iPhone.

Kurt sat down on his own, reluctantly removing his shirt (unfortunately Finn had chosen the side of the beach that was still on the receiving end of the sun's blazing rays). He took this time to take in his surroundings. Not far away was indeed a huge family with five small kids screaming, running and giggling wildly. Just a few feet ahead there was a young woman building a sand castle with a little boy. Directly behind them was a couple sucking faces, which Kurt really could do without, and to his right… oh…!

No further than five feet away, lay a boy (or was it a _man_? His swim trunks looked youthful, though…), his face hidden beneath a book as he slept, using it as a shield from the sun. His skin was tanned golden and his body was toned just to the right point, not too much, not too little. Kurt felt an urge to run his fingers through the shade of dark hair that covered his chest, but he soon became aware of his thoughts and blushed violently, even if no one but himself knew just what he was thinking or who he was admiring. He tried to look away, busying himself with his own literature, but not long after found his eyes drifting back… He watched the boy (man?)'s chest rise and fall slowly as he breathed calmly through his sleep. Wires emerged from under the book covering his face and trailed down to his hand that, while resting on his (perfect) stomach, held in a loose grip an iPod.

After a while Finn coughed, amused "it's hot out today, isn't it?"

Kurt just shot him a glare and flipped himself onto his back and holding his book high above his face to resume his reading. He'd been reading for a solid half an hour, with Finn's snoring just next to him, when Katy Perry's Teenage Dream started playing out of nowhere. Well, it couldn't really be out of nowhere, could it? Kurt looked around, and soon enough he could tell the music was coming from the bag that the (oh so dreamy) specimen next to him was using as a pillow. He, however, didn't even so much as stir in his deep sleep.

_Teenage Dream as a ringtone? Really?_

But then Kurt remembered that maybe he wasn't in the right to judge, what with his ring tone being Lady Gaga's Born This Way… Yeah… Equally tacky. He made a mental to maybe consider changing his ring tone.

Oh, but the music was still playing and the guy wouldn't wake up.

Kurt bit his tongue, unsure of what to do. Well, if it was him he would've been grateful to have someone warn him that his phone was ringing, wouldn't he? - it might be an emergency. (It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it was totally the perfect excuse to find out if it was a teenage boy or a grown man, and a good looking one at that… It had absolutely nothing to do with that. Shame on you for thinking such things of Kurt's innocent and oh so honorable intentions!) So he sat up and crawled just a little bit closer to the sleeping boy. Unsure and uneasily, he poked his arm, but the sleeping boy didn't make the slightest hint of feeling it.

What now? Kurt didn't speak Portuguese… How do you say "Wake up because your phone's ringing!" in Portuguese? Or should he just wake him up and wordlessly point towards the bag? Or should he just not wake him up at all and just let it be?

Oh, screw it, he'll probably know enough of English to understand.

So Kurt reluctantly stretched his hand towards the book lifting it slowly and carefully, trying not to startle the boy. He was obviously unsuccessful as the stranger shot up, sitting up straight at lightning speed, looking frantically around, disoriented.

Kurt instinctively put his hands up and offered an awkward smile, which probably looked more like a grimace than anything "Your phone's ringing." He mumbled.

The boy didn't say anything, instead he just frowned, looking at Kurt. And Kurt had to try really hard not to let his jaw drop or drool over himself, because, hot damn, the guy was absolutely stunning – dark, unruly, messy curls framed a perfect face with a wide strong jaw line and beautiful hazel eyes beneath perfectly thick eyebrows.

As the boy (_HA!_) continued to stare, confused, Kurt realized he still had his earphones on. Kurt motioned for him to take them off and he did, still frowning. "Sorry, but your phone is ringing…"

The boy's eyebrows shot up, as he was clearly a little confused, and probably trying very hard to properly wake up and shake off his scare. Kurt wondered if the boy had understood what he'd said, and was about to repeat it, really slow, when the boy shook his head a little and finally the tiniest hint of a smile graced his figures as he nodded in comprehension and mumbled "Obri - Thank you." At the same time he shoved his hand inside his bag and pulled out his cell. Kurt had learnt enough of Portuguese beforehand to know the boy had been about to say Obrigado, which meant, Thank you, so he was surprised when the boy picked up the call and said without the slightest hint of an accent "Hi, sweetie, what's up?"

So he wasn't Portuguese, was he? Well… maybe he was just really good at English and had a non-portuguese girlfriend? He certainly _looked_ Portuguese. He was short (Kurt noticed this as the boy stood to walk towards the water, continuing to talk in perfect English), tanned, and dark haired. That would be the typical Portuguese man.

Oh well… it's not like it was any of Kurt's business anyway. So, with one last glance at the boy who was now laughing loudly as he kicked at the water mind absently, Kurt returned to his previous position, and continued his attempt at reading. It was a while before he could see, from the corner of his eye, the dreamy guy returning to his towel, laying back down and holding his book high above his head, resuming to reading as well.

Kurt was trying very hard not to turn his head and stare – seriously, he read the same sentence like fifteen times!

"Did you bring any food with you?" Finn's voice yanked Kurt out of his temptations.

"Huh… no. I had a snack before I came, so I'm good 'till dinner…"

"I'm starving!"

"Finn, you're always starving." Kurt rolled his eyes as he sat up "You have a black hole for a stomach." He shrugged matter-of-factly.

"Well, I can't help it, dude, I'm just… hungry… all the time." Finn shrugged.

"But you can help being prepared by bringing food with you! Or aren't you capable of thinking of that yourself? Whatever possessed you to think you could spend an entire afternoon at the beach without bringing anything to eat? For someone as big as you, you're certainly not very grown up, are you? You're like a five year old, Finn! I feel like I'm your mother, sometimes."

Kurt heard a chuckle coming from his left and he really had to concentrate not to give into the urge to look, because he just knew whose chuckle that was, but he managed to keep his eyes on his step-brother.

"Do you at least have any money on you? I forgot my wallet…" Finn begged.

"Yeah… sure." Kurt sighed, shaking his head a little in disapproval at Finn's irresponsibility, he handed him his own wallet "There you go. I expect my money back when we get home!"

"Thanks, little brother!"

"Litt-? Finn, I'm older than you! The fact that you're the size of a Yeti doesn't give you the right to call me little brother. Do that again and you'll see how fast I can take that wallet back and keep you starving. You'll be vacationing in Africa instead of Europe."

There it was again – that light, discreet chuckle, just as Finn shot Kurt an 'innocent' shrug and headed off to the bar just across the beach.

Kurt figured that staying there would just make it even worse in matters of resisting to look and, probably, consequently stare, contemplate, become mesmerized and eventually start drooling. Also, he was actually kind of hot from laying down under the sun for a good hour and half now, even if it was late afternoon sun. With a small sigh he closed his book and got up, walking over to the water, planning on just going in knee deep and then returning to his towel.

"Ohhh, holy hell, it's freezing!" he hissed as soon as it touched his feet, jumping three feet back.

"It usually is…" A voice said from behind him and Kurt, startled, turned to meet warm hazel eyes smiling at him "This part of Portugal's shore isn't particularly warm – it's the Atlantic Ocean. The warm water's the Mediterranean Sea, and that would be in Algarve, which is the South end of Portugal, you're in Alentejo – middle of Portugal… Kind of… Anyway, what I mean is I doubt the water will be warm anytime soon – give global warming a few years, though, and it should be just warm and cozy by then." the boy continued to smile as he came to stand next to Kurt, letting the small waves brush at his ankles. "My name's Blaine."

Kurt stared at the extended hand for a second before snapping out of his shock and taking it "Huh Kurt, I'm Kurt."

"Nice to meet you. Thanks for waking me up, before. I'd probably just keep sleeping for hours and wake up in the middle of the night completely alone and robbed of my precious belongings…"

"Huh… No… No problem."

"You know, if you came to the beach a little earlier, the freezing water would actually feel like a blessing under this hell of a sun…" he tilted his head towards the now weaker offending star.

"Can't…" Kurt shrugged "Sensitive skin."

The boy, Blaine, chuckled "Yeah… You might wanna warn your… huh… brother?... to be more careful. He fell asleep for two hours straight in the peak of heat, and he didn't put any sunscreen on… not that I noticed, anyway."

"I made him put sunscreen on before he left the house… He's like a little kid, you have to do everything for him…"

"So I've noticed. Couldn't help but overhear, sorry."

"It's ok…" Kurt shrugged, not really sure what to say from that.

"So, here on vacation?" Blaine asked with a light conversational tone to his voice, finally looking away from Kurt, and off to the distant horizon. Kurt was almost grateful for that – the intensity of those hazel eyes was starting to get to him, and it was becoming harder to articulate words and phrases.

"Yeah… Family enforced vacation… We arrived today, actually…"

"Oh, did you really? Well, I hope you enjoy it. This is actually a pretty cool place. Where are you from?"

"Lima, Ohio…" he mumbled, knowing full well that the other boy would either have never heard of it or know just how ridiculous it was.

"Huh… that's… huh… never heard of it." He admitted with a light chuckle, tucking his hands in his pockets and ducking his head slightly.

"Can't blame you, small cow town. So are you Portuguese with really good English speaking skills, or…?"

"American…" he nodded, and Kurt felt like face palming himself – of course he was – his name was _Blaine_! "My grandma's Portuguese, though, and we just kind of spend every summer here. I'm actually from New York."

"Oh, really? I'll be starting at NYU, next year!" Kurt couldn't help the excitement that spread to his face and voice every time he even just thought about going to study at NYU.

"A freshman, hey? I'll be sure to keep an eye out for you then…" Blaine smiled, and Kurt could swear he'd just winked.

"Do you go there?" Kurt let slip a tone of hopefulness in his voice, and he honestly wished the other boy had missed it.

"Yeah, I just finished my freshman year, actually."He seemed entirely happy about it, balancing slightly on the balls of his feet, his bright smile reaching his eyes fully, making them, somehow, impossibly warmer.

_Focus, Kurt! This is a conversation, not a staring contest!_ "What're you studying?"

"Psychology." He said with a hint of amusement "So you'd better watch what you say or I might just diagnose you with a bunch of disorders and traumas…" he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh, you'd have a field's day with me, then!" Kurt laughed, and then stopped, feeling his cheeks burn slightly as he realized he had just given incredibly personal and embarrassing information to a complete (hot) stranger. _Maybe he didn't notice?_

"Oh?" _yes, yes he did_. And now Blaine was looking at him with raised eyebrows and a look of polite curiosity on his face.

He tried to buy himself some time to think of something by faking a coughing fit "Ahem… huh… I… huh, think I'm going a little bit crazy, what with the idea of spending two weeks stuck in the same room with my brother. Finn can be… challenging." _Nice save, Kurt._ He smiled to himself. _And not that much of a lie._

As if on cue, Finn's voice accompanied his hand ruffling Kurt's hair "What's up little brother?"

Kurt glared at him, shooting daggers with his eyes "Starvation, Finn, starvation."

"Hi, I'm Blaine!" the boy extended a hand towards Finn before the tall boy could even begin to tease Kurt any further.

"Finn." He smiled shaking Blaine's hand. There was a moment of awkward silence between the three of them, while Finn bit the insides of his cheeks to keep himself from laughing, before Blaine finally broke it "Sorry, but… how exactly are you brothers? I mean… You look… around the same age, but, if I heard correctly Kurt is older, somehow … and anyway, you're like…. Nothing alike…"

"We're step-brothers." They said in unison, already used to the same old question. They should probably start actually referring to each other as step-brothers, but in one year and a half they'd grown so accustomed to the idea of being a family that they really did feel like actual brothers, and saying step-brothers felt stranger to them. Also it was longer. Brother was just easier.

"Oh, ok! Cool…" Blaine nodded with a little uneasy smile, burying his hands deeper in his pockets and looking at his feet as they kicked carefully at the water.

"Speaking of which, Kurt, my mom called me, and she said they'd be going out for dinner, so we're on our own…"

"What's the point of_ family _vacation if they spend their whole day away from us?" Kurt muttered, feeling slightly guilty about leaving Blaine probably feeling a bit left out of the conversation.

"I think two weeks is plenty of time for family bonding opportunities … Besides, this way I can stuff my face in all the crap I want and mom won't bitch me about it!"

Kurt eyed him in disgust, and Blaine let out an amused chuckle. "You'll die of diabetes when you're thirty." Kurt muttered, shaking his head.

Blaine was about to say something when a squeal startled all three of them and a small, thin pair of arms wrapped itself around Blaine's waist. He twirled himself around and in one swift movement he'd picked up a small girl into his arms. She was his female and very much younger version. She couldn't have been more than ten years old, and she was absolutely adorable. Her hair was just as dark and curly as Blaine's, though much longer, and her eyes were equally beautiful and twinkling with kindness. Her cheeks were flushed as she laughed "What's this?" Blaine's voice was loud and amused as he flung the girl over his shoulder "I'm being attacked by some sort of skinny dwarf? Help!" The girl giggled and attempted at tickling the sides of his stomach. "Oh no you didn't, Deeds!" he cried out and immediately ran further into the water, dumping the girl inside as soon as he was thigh deep in it.

She emerged just a second later squealing "BLAINE!" she flailed her arms sending a wave of water crashing against him, causing him to gasp sharply before doing the same and dashing, running back towards the shore. He stopped next to Kurt and Finn "sorry 'bout this" he smiled, panting slightly "you might get caught in the crossfire…" was all he had time to say before the small girl jumped with incredible agility onto his back, starting to wrestle him.

Once again, his strong (_gahhhhh_)arms easily swung her over to his front and dumped her back in the water, just careful enough not to hurt her.

"This is Deirdre." He panted, through kicks and splashes "My little sister."

It was then that the girl registered the two boys who'd been watching the scene in amusement. She immediately stopped trying to tackle her older brother and stood to face them.

"Hi!" she smiled, offering them her hand cheerfully "Deirdre Anderson, a pleasure to meet you both!"

"Hi, I'm Kurt." He smiled, taking her hand and shaking it gently, trying not laugh at the girl's attempt at sounding older and poised "Kurt Hummel."

"I'm Finn!" Finn smiled and shook her hand "Oh no!" Finn chuckled "that is not a proper handshake!" The girl frowned at him in confusion, but kept her smile "Give me your hand…" when she did Finn started to shake it as wildly as he could, only careful not to hurt her, and she instantly broke into a fit of giggles.

"You're weird!" she said "No one shakes hands like that!"

"What? No way! I always do!" Finn smiled, trying to sound dead serious "all my friends do!"

"Kurt didn't!"

"Kurt's not cool like me!" He shrugged.

"Hey!" Kurt smacked Finn on his arm immediately "I'm awesome and all kinds of fabulous. Don't believe anything he says, he has the brain of a chicken and the IQ of a pea."

Blaine laughed loudly while grabbing his sister by the waist and pulling her up as she wrapped her arms around his neck "Oh well, I think they're both weird… right Deeds?"

"Yeah… but they're funny weird. The good kind of weird." She giggled.

"Indeed" he agreed with yet another dashing smile towards them, well, actually, towards Kurt, but the countertenor refused to read anything into that (consciously, at least – his subconscious, though, was something he could not control as it started to concoct all kinds of fantasies and scenarios). "Hey, you're shivering…" Blaine frowned, a smile still on his lips, as he inspected his sister closely – indeed her lips were becoming a little purple and she looked really cold "We need to get you home, Deeds, and take a warm shower."

"But… what about Finn and Kurt?" She looked at the two brothers with wide pleading eyes.

"I'm sure we'll see them around some other time…" he half smiled at them and the two brothers returned the gesture.

Kurt and Blaine's eyes lingering on each other, as well as their small smiles. Kurt was still trying to pry his eyes away from that beautiful tone of hazel, when he spoke "We should get going too, Finn… We need to go find some grocery store to buy something for dinner."


	3. The Great Big Brother

Illustrations at: **http : / mbelohastumblr. tumblr. com /**

**This chapter is kind of small, but hopefully the next one will make up for it XP**

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Blaine sat at his bed, strumming his guitar mindlessly. Deirdre was sprawled at the feet of his bed, reading a book with a disturbingly pink cover. She snapped her head to look at her brother suddenly and eyed him for a bit before asking "Do you think we'll see Finn again?"

Blaine raised his eyebrows in surprise at the unexpected question. "I dunno, why?"

"Nothing, he's just funny. And cute."

Blaine chuckled "And twice your age, silly."

"Age is just a number. Everybody knows that girls mature faster than boys, anyways!" she sat up and smiled triumphantly at her well thought argument.

The older boy ruffled her hair "Well, then, go for it!" he smiled. Actually he really hoped she would. When Deeds got an idea in her mind she wouldn't give up, which meant she would definitely find a way to meet Finn again, which meant Blaine would have to go and play big responsible brother and politely apologize to Finn, which meant he could ask Finn about Kurt, or better yet, which meant that Kurt would probably be with Finn when he'd have to fulfill his big brother duties and make sure Deeds wasn't being a pain in the ass. _Ah, the works of a mastermind!_

He bit his lip. And plucked a string once again completely distracted. Was this completely silly? Was it silly that he totally wanted to take advantage of any and every excuse he could find to maybe see Kurt again when all they did was pretty much talk for not even ten minutes?

Well, who cares if it was silly…? The truth was Blaine had fallen deep asleep and was having the most random and weird dream about The Wizard of Oz, and following the Yellow Brick Road and then something about murderous and cannibal Munchkins, when he had been woken up only to find himself staring into wide startled blue eyes. The boy's face, had Blaine not just woken up from an hour long nap, would have had him in stitches. Kurt had looked like he'd been caught watching porn!

But then again, Blaine reasoned, he'd probably looked like a deer caught in headlights, too. Waking up, in the middle of the beach, his earphones blasting Oasis' _Don't Look Back In Anger_, only to find himself faced with a boy he'd never seen before, had made his mind spin. He had to literally shut down his brain and restart it, when the boy had started gesturing for him to take the earphones off.

Then he'd talked with Deeds for a while, who was with their grandma baking a cake, and he told her she should come meet him at the beach when they were finished, and when he returned to his towel, he had to control himself not to laugh at that two boys bickering just next to each other. He didn't do very well with the self-control part, though…

The boy that had woken him up had some pretty good come backs and that combined with the superior tone he used towards the freakishly tall guy (_really, guys, who is that tall? And no, I am most certainly not jealous!_) had Blaine itching for more – but once the wallet was in the other guy's hand the bickering stopped and Blaine didn't have any more entertainment. _Or… I could just… talk to the guy…_ so when he got up and walked to the water, Blaine did too. He hadn't, however, expected to have to focus really hard on not losing his cool when Kurt turned to look at him. His eyes weren't blue now, the way the late afternoon golden sun was hitting them made them a very light shade of green… And his face, even when he was wearing that surprised and confused expression was absolutely beautiful. Yet, somehow, thank goodness, Blaine braved through some crap about the Atlantic Ocean and whatnot.

"Blaine?" came his sister's voice again.

"Yes?"

"Do you wanna go for a walk after dinner?"

Blaine smiled, knowing fully why Deeds wanted to go for a walk after dinner, and he would've made fun of her, were it not for the fact that it was the exact same reason he wanted to go too. Except that his… huh… curiosity?... _yeah that's it, curiosity…_ for Kurt was far more age appropriate than his sister's for Finn, and maybe, just maybe, a little bit maybe reciprocated. Oh, one can always hope.

"Sure, Deeds."

"Cool!" she squealed, getting up from the bed and running towards the bathroom, grabbing her makeup kit on the way. He burst out laughing and called after her "Hey, careful with the makeup, kid, you don't wanna look desperate…"_ or like a clown._

After a moment of silence her head popped out of the bathroom door and she peeked at him suspiciously. "What do you mean?" she finally asked, her voice low and skeptical.

He repressed another bark of laughter, and instead just hopped off of his bed and went over her with a chuckle. "Gimmie that." He pointed to the kit and she complied, sitting on the bathroom counter. Blaine started to pick out little instruments and organizing them neatly "I mean, if you put on too much makeup, which by the way you don't need cuz you're already beautiful, Finn will know you're trying to seduce him. He'll know you like him."

"So, isn't that the point?"

"No! That's never the point. You never tell a boy you like them, it makes you look like an idiot." Blaine started applying a light shade of pink to his sister's eyelids "You have to be very subtle. What you do is charm him with your looks and personality, huh, especially personality though…, flirt a little bit, but you never, ever, give away that you like them, and then they will tell you_ they_ like you and that's that."

"For real?"

"For real." Blaine smiled at the hopeful look in Deeds' eyes. He put on a tiny bit of lip gloss to her lips, and after pulling her hair into a ponytail he pulled her off the bathroom counter and steered her into the kitchen where their grandmother was setting the table.

"You look all fancy tonight!" she pointed out with a sly smile.

"She's got a hot date." Blaine said amused.

"I do not!" she squealed.

"Ok. Maybe she doesn't have a hot date, but she has a hot crush, and she wants to go for a walk after dinner to see if she 'accidentally' bumps into said hot crush." Blaine chuckled.

"Should I be worried? I wouldn't want your heartbroken, missy." The older woman half giggled.

Blaine just leaned in closer and told her quietly pulling her away from Deeds, who was distracted trying to see what was cooking in the pan "No problem, harmless crush on some guy around my age… No harm in playing along, hey, he did seem very cool and nice with her, at the beach today."

"Are you sure that's…"

"Relax, I'll be with her all the time. It's just a silly crush. Every girl has that crush on the older guy when they're her age, right? I bet he'll even find it funny."Blaine reasoned.

"Oh, well!" she sighed, shaking her head in amusement returning to pry her granddaughter away from the cooker "Summer romances are always the best and the worst!"

"What do you mean, nanna?"

"Well, they're always very passionate because it's summer and there's this thing about summer.." she smiled, and Blaine could see the little twinkle in her eyes "But then, they're over before you know it and you get heartbroken!"

"Oh no! I don't want that!" Deeds slumped down in her chair.

Blaine shot his grandmother a stern glare before sighing and sitting next to his sister "Oh, nanna's being dramatic… a summer romance is just that, a summer romance… No heartbreaks, just fun. So, eat your dinner and then we'll go for that walk… I'm sure Finn's gonna fall for you the second he sees you." _And I really need you to want to see him. You're my cover!_

"You sure?" she smiled all too hopefully.

_Oh God, I'm a horrible big brother!_

"Yeah, but remember, play it cool!" He nudged her shoulder, taking a sip at his glass of water trying to convey any ounce of certainty in his smile, when really he was starting to feel like he should be kicking himself – throwing his little sister at some innocent and unsuspecting guy who also happened to be like ten years older than her, just so he could try to get it on with said guy's brother! _Who does that? You do._

Well, in Blaine's defense, Finn did seem pretty damn nice and easy going, maybe he would find it hilariously funny, and be cool about the whole thing. He was good with kids, or at least it seemed he was… from the… huh… three minute talk they'd had at the beach?

_I'M GOING TO HELL!_

One thing you should know about Blaine: he had the art of smiling down to perfection. So no, not even his grandmother suspected any kind of moral dilemma or ulterior motives behind his reassuring smile; and certainly neither did Deeds, as she excitedly bounced in her chair.


	4. The Guinea Pig & The Beautiful Snowflake

Illustrations at: **http : / mbelohastumblr. tumblr. com /**

**Thank you for everything, tell me what you think :)**

**Love writing their conversations, ihihhiihih :)**

**xXxXx**

When Burt and Carole got home Finn was sprawled on the couch watching TV, while Kurt was using up his last few minutes of internet. They had one hour of internet a day (included in their holiday package – which Burt had been adamant about it meaning that that was the only time they had available, since extra time, would mean extra billing), so Finn and Kurt settled on each of them having half an hour every day, except (and this was very generous of them, as you'll certainly agree) on Mondays and Thursdays, which they would allow for Burt and Carole to use it, in case they needed it. Finn had spent his half hour on Skype with Rachel, her hyperactive voice sounded even crazier over the internet.

Kurt however, had only had fifteen minutes to talk to Mercedes who had a date to go to, and they used their time to perfect her outfit. Afterwards Kurt just browsed through some YouTube videos, caught up on the celebrity news, and finally started in on his Facebook updates and whatnots. It was when Burt and Carole arrived that he was trying to figure out if typing Blaine Anderson into the search bar would be incredibly creepy. He typed it anyways. Sure enough there were quite a few Blaines, so he narrowed it down by putting in NYU as a filter.

He found him, but other than his profile picture (_gorgeous! Sigh…_) and some basic information like his age (19) everything else was private and friend requesting him Kurt was sure would be WAY too creepy.

"What's up, kids?" Burt asked as he put down some bags on the dining table "What did you do today?"

"Beach..." Kurt mumbled as he closed the page, slightly disappointed.

"Kurt met a stud." Finn smiled from the couch. Burt's head immediately snapped back to his son who gasped in outrage.

"I _did not_!" He flushed a deep shade of red "I mean… I just…. His phone was ringing and I woke him up. That's it." _Why am I even explaining this?_

"So why the long talk?" Finn teased.

"Five minutes! We talked for five minutes and he was thanking me for waking him up. That's it. I did not meet any stud! Shut up, Finn!"

"Oh so I suppose you checking out his Facebook page was just a coincidence and had nothing to with the fact that you spent the first half an hour at the beach staring at his amaaaazing body while he was asleep! Which, by the way, is super creepy."

Kurt threw his slipper at Finn and growled "Shut up! We were just talking and he mentioned he goes to NYU, so I was just… and he's probably not even gay or single! Whatever! Why are we even talking about this? Why do I feel like I have to explain something? It's not like we're going to see them again, so…"

"Them? I thought it was _one _stud?" Burt raised an eyebrow.

"Blaine and his little sister." Kurt waved dismissively "and I'm done talking about this. It's a non—issue, Especially with my dad in the room."

Burt feigned indignation, but chuckled. Finally and thankfully Carole stepped in to the rescue "Why don't we all just go for a walk… I heard the town's square has some pretty good cafés and traditional art craft stores. It should be lovely."

Finn smirked "Yes, let's. Maybe Blaine will be there."

Kurt threw his other slipper at Finn but smiled nonetheless to his stepmother and with that same polite smile he said "sure, let me just get ready." He surely wouldn't be going out in beach shorts and a shirt. (_especially since… well… you know_)

Even in the evening it was surprisingly warm outside which meant Kurt would not have the opportunity to showcase his fabulous coats. Damn these holidays. Paris! What was so wrong with Paris?

_No Blaine in Paris, though… Oh what the hell, Kurt? You've just met the guy and he's probably straight and has a girlfriend, who really likes Katy Perry, and is just unusually friendly and polite for his own good! STOP thinking about it like it's ever gonna happen._

With a sigh he settled for his black skinny jeans, doc martens and a grey vest over his white shirt – simple but chic. Just because he felt frustrated he decided to mix it up a little and instead of fixing his hair back like always he wore it as messy as possible, holding it with just the tiniest bit of gel. _Yeah, that's ok, I guess._

"Took you long enough." Burt muttered laying down a beer at which Kurt glared but said nothing "Let's go."

The town's square was indeed lovely, as Carole would describe it. It was filled with people, and even the streets leading up to it – which were entirely free of cars –were bursting with life. It had all kinds of stands with handmade items, like necklaces, bracelets, toys… There were a few street musicians here and there, and all the cafes were open and filled with cheerful chatter. Kurt almost felt like he was enjoying this. Almost.

"Oh, look at those earrings!" Carole squealed, running towards a stand.

Kurt eyed all of the items carefully and, with a short nod, concluded that there was no need for supervision – they were all charming, he had to admit it, even if they weren't designer's. He pulled away from Carole to stand by Finn who was smiling furiously. "What?" Kurt shrugged looking around trying to find what was so funny. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach he knew exactly what was so funny, but he refused to acknowledge it. Especially because his dad was just ten feet away inspecting a stand covered in local traditional sweets and cakes.

But yes, sure enough, just a second after hearing a far away squeak, Kurt could spot them, across the square. Kurt saw Blaine leaning down to whisper something in his sister's ear before she took off running towards them. His heart started racing and he was sure he'd have a bruise on his chest from how furiously it was beating against his ribcage as Blaine started towards them, too, following his sister calmly, his hands behind his back and his oh so charming smile on his face. He caught Kurt's eyes for a second or two, but both of them were quick to look away, sharing just the smallest of smiles.

xXxXx

Blaine had seen Finn first – his head stood above everyone else's, but Kurt wasn't next to him. Blaine felt his heart sinking slightly, but then he caught Finn's eyes and the tall boy broke into a wide grin – he looked like he was actually laughing, which made Blaine shoot him a small questioning look but Finn just continued chuckling and beaming with a small shrug. Blaine squeezed Deirdre's shoulder slightly and nodded towards Finn. She followed her brother's gesture and squealed the moment she noticed the grinning teenager, about fifty feet away, just as a man standing next to Finn stepped aside revealing Kurt, standing right next to Finn, looking around, following Finn's eyes. He could barely keep a coherent trail of thought. Well, he could, but they weren't exactly good trails of thought… Apart from the tiny one that said _Oh yeah, he's definitely gay_, they all pretty much consisted of _Oh my God those jeans are so tight they're criminal. No! Scratch that, not criminal, law enforced. Yeah, Kurt should be made to wear those ALL the time, BY FEDERAL LAW. Well not __**all**__ the time, because then... JESUS CHRIST BLAINE!_

With a bit of a grimace and a sigh he shook he head and leant down to his sister, telling her as much as he told himself "Play it cool, don't be too obvious about how amazing and gorgeous you think he is…"

Before he could so much as straighten back up she had started running towards them and he was left there panicking. He had to thank all of those god awful country club afternoons of faking smiles and trying to charm people whose names he could never really remember and faces he did not want to remember (because no one really should just be allowed to have those many face-lifts, or wear those god awful clothes let alone golf caps), because the ability to fake any kind of comfortableness whilst talking to homophobic business men and empty headed trophy wives was the only thing that enabled him to plaster his most charming smile and start walking after Deeds without showcasing the loud pre-teen inside his head screaming obscenities about Kurt's incredibly dreamy thighs, slender waist, perfect hair…

_Ok, Blaine. Please, grow up. You're better than this. You've got a working brain – usually – and you're perfectly capable of making it work. Control your hormones, Blaine, control your hormones._

He sighed deeply and resumed to hold his hands behind his back (better safe than sorry) and smile, following her as calmly as he could. He watched as she lunged at Kurt.

"Hey Kurt!" the small girl said excitedly, hugging him unexpectedly across the waist, which was as high as she could reach. Kurt noticed her pretty pink summer dress, and the tiniest hints of make up on.

"Hey, you." He smiled "You look stunning."

She beamed at this, her cheeks going a little redder, before turning to Finn and saying very calmly "Hello, Finn." She nodded politely in curtsey and added in a tone of cold, though polite curiosity "How do you do?"

Blaine was not sure how he managed to stifle his laughter. He could not, however, keep a straight face, raising a hand to hide his biting smile, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes for a second. Clearly Deeds had learned a lot of things at the country club as well… maybe just not as useful .

Finn, from his place up high in the skies, looked down to the little girl and chuckled at the difference in her demeanor, frowning but smiling nonetheless he nodded back "Hi, I'm great, how are you?"

xXxXx

Kurt looked behind the girl, where her brother stood looking just about ready to fall apart laughing. Also, he looked gorgeous. But that's beside the point. The point was Deirdre was acting like a Queen addressing the President of another country, following all sorts of protocols, as she talked to Finn, and Blaine, behind her, was shaking in silent laughter.

Braving through the fact that he wanted nothing but to say "You're stunning, please be gay and single and make out with me." Kurt settled for shooting him a curious glance once the boy had opened his eyes and let his hand fall back to his side, taking a soothing breath. Blaine smiled and stepped closer muttering "She's got a super crush on your brother..." his voice dripping with suppressed laughter "I told her not to be obvious, and play it cool… Apparently she thinks that meant acting like my mother whenever she's talking to her parents-in-law."

Kurt couldn't hold the little laugh that escaped his lips but tried to cover it by faking a coughing fit once both Finn and Deirdre turned to look at them.

"What are you two talking about?" the little girl squinted at her brother.

"Nothing…" he shrugged, voice a little strained, as he was clearly struggling to maintain a straight face.

She was about to say something when a voice cut her off and immediately Kurt's heart shot right out of his chest and into his mouth "So this is the stu-" Kurt glared at his father, trying to convey all sorts of threats and menacing concepts with his eyes "uudent from NYU Finn was talking about?"

_Stud, dad, __**really**__? You were going to call him stud right in front of him?_

Blaine looked a little confused for a second and Kurt wanted nothing more than to kill Finn and his dad and throw them to the sharks. But just like before the boy shook his head just slightly, as if shaking away the confusion, and a smile returned to his face "Yeah, I'm Blaine. This is my sister, Deirdre." He placed a hand on her back and pressed the girl a little forward encouraging her to extend her arm for a handshake, which Burt took with a warm smile towards the little girl "And we just met today at the beach…"

"So…" Burt fumbled for words or any kind of conversational thing to say "you go to NYU, then?"

"Yeah, yeah… I'm going back for my sophomore year after this summer."

"Good, good…" he muttered, balancing on the balls of his feet. Kurt just wanted to dig himself a hole, crawl into it and never ever come back and see the light of day.

"Uh!" Finn said suddenly, startling everyone, who'd been caught on the awkwardness of the silence "Ice cream!" he pointed at the ice cream shop just a few yards away.

"Oh, I want one too, Blaine!" Deirdre squealed immediately.

Blaine frowned for a second before reaching into his pocket with a sigh, shuffling through his coins "Ok, but please, don't go crazy… remember last time?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

Finn started towards the place, Deirdre in tow, and Blaine made to follow them but Finn smirked and mumbled "Oh, don't worry, I got this… You don't need to come."

"Oh ok… thanks…" he mumbled in surprise, still a little unsure, as he handed Deirdre the money.

Again, Kurt, Burt and Blaine stood there in an awkward silence. After witnessing what he was sure was weirdly embarrassed but sweet exchange of glances between the two boys Burt couldn't help it "Right, I'm gonna go… find Carole. Here's in case you wanna get something." He slapped a five euro bill onto Kurt's hand and very nearly fled the place like there was some kind of roaring lion behind the two boys ready to pounce him.

Kurt almost panicked. Sure, he didn't want his _dad _there (God knows just how embarrassing things could become with his dad and his complete lack of filter or sense of what was appropriate to disclose), but now this meant he was alone with Blaine. And what the hell was he supposed to do now?

"You know… you can go… get an ice cream… if you want…?" Blaine muttered, chancing only a quick unsure glance at Kurt, with a tight smile as he bit this lip slightly.

"No, I'm ok." He said quietly. "But you can go too…! Just… if…" he added quickly.

"Oh no, I'll be eating most of hers anyways… She always buys way too much than she can actually handle." He chuckled "Getting my own would be a colossal waste of money."

"So about that crush…" Kurt offered, quite sure this would be a safe topic, an amusing one even, maybe.

Blaine seemed to relax immediately and Kurt very nearly sighed in relief himself as the other boy laughed "Oh yeah… she's pretty much head over heels. I imagine they'll be married within a month."

"Oh, I can plan it, it should be beautiful." Kurt joked.

"I can totally see it!" Blaine grinned spreading his hands in front of him gesturing to some kind of imaginary landscape "A beach wedding in the sunset. Aww.." he chuckled again, ducking his head and shaking it slightly before turning back to Kurt with one of those brain melting smiles "Don't worry though, it's just a harmless crush… You know when you're little and you always think the older kids are so much cooler and interesting."

"Oh, I know!" Kurt nodded knowingly, remembering his own childhood crushes "I'll warn Finn though… Although… Maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea… he might just be so stupidly amused he'd play along."

"Oh, that's ok…" Blaine shrugged, starting to walk without any real destination in particular and Kurt followed feeling a small lonely butterfly start fluttering inside his stomach as he realized his was going for a moonlit walk alone with Blaine "Let them have their fun, you know? I'm sure he's a good guy, so…"

"He is… Incredibly dumb, and doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut, impossible to live with and frustratingly thick, most of the time – but he's a good guy."

"Oh, so many compliments, I wonder if he'll ever live up to those!" Blaine's eyes twinkled in amusement as he teased.

"Sorry, I'm just kind of mad at him today…"

"Why's that?"

"He opened his mouth and shouldn't have. As per usual. I'm not usually this quick to insult my brother – he may be challenging, but most days I'm more easily amused at his seemingly lobotomized brain then I am annoyed… Just not today." Kurt decided to leave it at that, because Blaine did NOT need to listen to the rest of the story "But then again I'm still pissed at the whole spending so much time away from my friends and under the scorching sun that'll give me skin cancer and cause my premature and entirely unattractive death."

Blaine chuckled at Kurt's grim predictions "Pessimistic much? I'm sure _two weeks_ of sun won't give you skin cancer, especially if you're not coming to the beach before five p.m. So, just… relax and enjoy these vacations, that's what they were made for, right? And you can always take this as a chance to make new friends…" Blaine smiled and Kurt could swear there was a slight blush creeping through his cheeks "And by that I mean me." He paused with a small grin, tilting his head, before chuckling at himself and shaking his head, turning to look at the black sky, twinkling with stars "So… NYU, huh? What're you studying?"

"Drama and Music, huh performance arts… Tisch school." Kurt said shyly.

"Ah, so I'm talking to a future Broadway star?"

"Hopefully" Kurt chuckled "my friend Rachel, she's Finn's girlfriend, and I, we managed to get full scholarships to go there. If anyone had told me three years ago that I'd be going to NYU, study drama with one annoying as hell Rachel Berry and consider that last part just as good as the first I would have called 911 and have them admitted to the psych ward. I still don't remember when I let myself be best friends with that girl, and I have to give to Finn – he's pretty much a saint for being able to_ date_ her… Anyway, the thing is… I've never been this excited about anything! I just can't get over the fact that this is really happening! I'm leaving Lima!"

Blaine laughed "Was it that bad?"

"Oh, you have no idea! The Neanderthals that inhabit that hell hole of a town would either be the death of me or the reason I went to jail because I'd seriously either commit suicide or go all Chainsaw Massacre on them if someone told me I had to stay and live there my entire life. But the thing is, I really did not want to have to kill myself, and it's not like Chainsaw Massacre was an option either, because, I'm sorry, but I am** not **wearing an orange jumpsuit! It's really unflattering for my skin tone. Death and orange jumpsuits are probably the two looks I most certainly can**not **rock. So, staying was not an option. Like… Ever."

Blaine let out a small howl of laughter before shrugging in amusement "I'm sure you could rock any look…" he frowned slightly with amusement before adding "Except decomposing body… Not sure about that one, so yeah, maybe no suicide…"

Kurt giggled (_oh god, sound more like ten year old girl with a crush, will you_?) "Exactly why I needed to get to New York where there is culture and civilization! The fact that I might get to work on Broadway one day is really just half of the dream."

"Well, if you're as screwed up as you crack yourself up to be than I'm sure you'll make it to the Broadway big time."

Kurt mocked outrage "I'll have you know that… Well… actually I have nothing to say… I really am a little screwed up in the head. Years of abuse and fighting for survival do that to a person." Kurt frowned, and then frowned deeper and blushed, as yet again he had managed to give away incredibly personal information to someone he'd just met "Can we just pretend I didn't say that?"

Blaine was looking at him with an expression halfway between amused and concerned "Sure… But just so you know, we all have our issues."

"Yeah, well, it's just that I barely know you and… somehow, my filter doesn't work around you, and I find myself constantly saying stuff that might have you running for the hills." _And there I go again…_

"Kurt, I'm studying psychology, do you really think I'm going to run for the hills because you admit to having issues?" his voice was filled with laughter, but somehow he still sounded serious "First, logically that would just make you more interesting to me, like a case study… And second, the fact that you acknowledge those issues and know what they are and why they're there means that you're pretty much halfway through dealing with them, so…" Blaine said with a half shrug.

Kurt blushed slightly, a whole new horde of butterflies filling his stomach, because, honestly, _who is this sweet?_, and tried to think of something witty "So… either I'm a guinea pig, or I'm uninteresting to you… Flattering." He said with a chuckle for good measure, just so Blaine wouldn't think he was actually offended.

"Pretty much…" Blaine laughed along, dipping his head and kicking at a small stone as he shoved his hands in his pockets in the most adorable way possible "I'm gonna go with Guinea pig, though…" he muttered, only chancing a glance at Kurt, who could have sworn the older boy was blushing again – but then again it was dark and the golden street lamp lights sent weird shadows over people's faces.

"Oh, why's that?" Kurt turned to look at him. They were now going down one of the main streets, towards the cliff where they first had arrived to, and Kurt could already see the moon shining, beautifully reflected on the wild waves in a scatter of white diamonds on the black mass of water.

"Well…" he kicked another rock, and _how much more adorable could he be right now?_ "As much as you certainly don't look like a guinea pig, you really don't strike me as uninteresting in the least… so, isn't there any other animal used for cruel laboratorial experiments and studies for expensive cosmetics I can compare you to?" he looked up to finally meet Kurt's eyes, an amused frown on his face.

Kurt just shrugged "Lab rats? The white small ones…"

Blaine wrinkled his nose "Closer, you **are** pretty white, but not quite…"

"Are we seriously discussing which animal I look most alike? Because, if I had to answer that question I'd say human."

"You _are_ human, you can't be_ like_ a human."

"Am not!" Kurt scoffed, holding his head higher "I'm a far more superior being than a mere human!"

Blaine eyed him amused for a moment "I take it back. You're clearly nowhere near halfway through dealing with your issues. You have a serious case of delusion." He removed one of his hands from his pocket and pointed towards a garden bench just right at the edge of the cliff, his eyes questioning.

Kurt nodded before continuing their discussion on Kurt's existential issues "It's not a delusion if it's true. I'm a gift sent from the heavens to mankind. It's a fact. Deal with it." _I'm doing it! I'm actually maintaining a conversation with him, and I'm not making that much of a complete fool of myself and somehow I'm actually being able to crack some jokes and he gets them! Is this for real?_

Blaine took a moment to think it over – his face had only a trace of a teasing smile on it. Finally he squinted at Kurt and smirked "Then should I be flattered that you'd waste your time talking to a mere, mortal human like me?"

"Definitely. Very much so!" Kurt's voice was filled with conviction as he straightened his back and held his head as high as he could, peering down at Blaine with the smallest hint of a grin.

"Awww, I feel special, now." Blaine was trying to keep their fake seriousness, but was starting to fail, laughter creeping into his voice, as he took a seat.

"Oh please, never refer to yourself as special!" Kurt chuckled, seating next to Blaine, careful to keep a respectful distance between them "That's the term teachers use when they don't wanna tell parents' that their kid's terribly dumb."

"Well, I might just be terribly dumb!" He shrugged with nonchalance.

"I _really_ doubt that." He replied quickly with a smirk.

"Why's that?"

_Damn it! I fell right into that, didn't I?_ "Huh… because… you go to NYU, and I refuse to accept that a particularly dumb person could be studying in the same institution as me. That's insulting!" _Ahhhh, good save, Hummel, good save._

"Ok, fine. So I'm not special… what am I? Unique? Exceptional? Extraordinary? A beautiful snowflake?" he laughed the last suggestion out, not able to hold it back.

"A cliché?" Kurt offered with a giggle "I'll be damned if I ever call someone or let anyone call me a 'beautiful snowflake'! It's just so unoriginal and clichéd, it's insulting."

Blaine let out a bark of laughter "No one ever called you a beautiful snowflake?" he asked, looking at Kurt with a warm smile and he leant over and started picking mind absently at the fabric in his jeans, over his shins.

"It's quite possible that someone may have called me a snowflake somewhere along my life, because I am whiter than snow itself, but I don't think the adjective beautiful ever accompanied it." He answered without thinking, as was becoming a habit around Blaine. A dangerous one, at that.

"Oh…" Blaine frowned just the tiniest bit, and with a small smile he said "Pity… Cliché as it is, it would've suited you perfectly."

Kurt felt himself blush violently and he was about to stammer out some kind of 'thank you' when "_It doesn't matter if you love him or capital HIM_" started shooting out of his pocket.

He saw Blaine's eyebrows shoot up in amusement but refused to give him any kind of satisfaction and proudly withdrew his cell from his pocket and answered it "Yes?"

"Oh, dad, I'm just by that parking lot, right next to the house… Just talking to… yeah… yeah… No, dad, no… Don't be silly, dad, of course not… yeah, sure… tell Finn I hate him... Thanks… see you in five."

He was glad Blaine chose to ignore the conversation, instead going back to raising an eyebrow and looking mildly amused "Lady Gaga? Born This Way? Really?"

"Oh please, as if Katy Perry's so much better! Even if it's your girlfriend's personal ringtone it's still tackier than Lady Gaga." He snapped back.

"It's… not my… girlfriend's ringtone. It's just my ringtone. For everyone…" He said, suddenly uneasy.

Kurt chose to ignore that Blaine didn't deny to having a girlfriend or being straight and went back to the easy teasing "Isn't it a little bit… inappropriate, though? I mean, your mom's calling you and your phone's singing _let's go all the way tonight_? I mean I know you're studying psychology, but you don't need to test every Freudian theory."

Blaine burst out laughing "Well, first, I never thought about it that way, it's just really my favorite song… And second, Freud and my mom do not connect at all… If you'd said my dad, maybe… but that's just… oh, gross! Kurt, now you got me imagining things I did NOT want to think about!"

Kurt raised an eyebrow, a new glimmer of hope igniting "Why your dad…?"

"Well, according to Freud boys want to have sex with their mothers, subconsciously, but since… I'm… you know… gay… I guess I'd want to, subconsciously, have sex with my father… And seriously why're you making me think about this? My head's bleeding!" he whined.

Kurt's happiness of finally having the confirmation that Blaine was gay and quite possibly single was quickly replaced by his own distress as he'd followed Blaine's line of reason. "Oh my god! NO!"

"Yeah, well, you did this to yourself! _You_ brought up Freud, so, it's on you!"

"I'm so having nightmares tonight." Kurt muttered.

"Tell me about it… My night was just perfect, and now I have these… oh Jesus!"

"Can we just stop talking about it and change subjects?" Kurt half begged him. Also, Blaine had just said that his night was _perfect_ (and by the look on his face he was quickly becoming aware of that little slip up right there, which make Kurt feel slightly better about his own moments of damaged filter), which was really what he wanted to be thinking about rather than… _ewwww_.

"Gladly!" Blaine sighed and then with an amused smirk, cocking his head the slightest bit he mused "Beautiful weather, no?"

Kurt laughed and smacked him lightly on the arm "We're not going to be talking about the weather either!"

"What th-Oh, hang on here she comes…" Blaine nodded towards the parking lot behind them with a knowing smile. Kurt turned to look and caught Deirdre sprinting through the cars towards them.

"Blaine! Blaine!"

"Hey kid, how were things with Finn? Is he in love with you already?"

She blushed and kicked him lightly on the shin tilting her head towards Kurt "Blaaaaine!"

"Oh, don't worry about me, I won't say a word!" Kurt smiled at the girl as Blaine scowled his sister, rubbing his shin with a slightly dejected look "I'm mad at him anyway, so there's really no reason I should talk to him at all."

"You're mad at him? How? He's sooo sweet!"

Kurt chuckled "Well your brother's sweet, too, but I bet you get mad at him, sometimes." _OH MY GOD, KURT! SHIT! Could you be any more obvious?_ Kurt felt his whole face become scorching hot and thanked god it was dark and there was the slight chance that they wouldn't notice his blush. He wouldn't even dare to chance a glance at Blaine, but he'd seen, from the corner of his eye, his head snapping back towards him, so there was no way, no how, that Blaine hadn't noticed that one. _Shit, shit, shit._

"Yeah, I guess so…" Deirdre mumbled "But anyways, Blaine, guess what? After we went for ice cream – he ate the rest of mine, though, because I got too much again – we met his – your – parents and then there was a band playing on the street and we _danced_!"

"Oh wow!" Kurt could hear the hidden laughter in Blaine's voice "what was the music?"

"Oh… huh… it was that… huh… Oh, I know! I'm Yours! From that guy…"

"Jason Mraz…" Kurt offered, his voice still strained a little bit from his recent embarrassing moment. _Is it worse than saying my night was perfect? Yes, yes, Kurt, it is…_

"Yeah!"

"Well, then, that's your song!"

"My song?"

"No, your song with Finn… Your couple song. You know… Like Uncle Tom and Dana's is _I Will Always Love You_…" he explained. There was clear disapproval as he mentioned the Whitney Houston classic. As much as Kurt adored Ms. Houston, he'd have to agree with Blaine on that one. Could it be anymore overused?

"Oh, that was their wedding song!"

"Exactly!"

"So, when Finn and I get married our wedding song's gonna be _I'm Yours_?"

"Exactly!"

"Cool!" she squealed excited "Oh, shut up now, they're coming over here. Play it cool, guys, play it cool."

Kurt and Blaine exchanged one glance and burst out into laughter under the harsh scowl of one Ms. Deirdre Anderson. True enough in a matter of a minute Burt, Carole and Finn had reached the bench "What's so funny?" Burt asked with a smile.

"She…" Kurt waved in Deirdre's general direction as he recovered his breath "is brilliant! Genius!"

Blaine continued to laugh, and pulled his sister into his lap, tickling her sides and nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck. She let go of her scowl and giggled trying to pull away from his embrace.

"O-ok…" Burt smiled "So, Kurt, son, we're going inside… it's getting kind of late…"

"Yeah, yeah…" Kurt said immediately getting up and going to stand next to his family. He looked back awkwardly to the giggling pair "Hum… See you… around?"

"You know it!" Blaine laughed, his face still buried in his sister's neck as he blew loudly onto it, causing her to squeal and laugh harder, but then he lifted his eyes to meet Kurt's and Kurt's stomach suddenly flipped as Blaine's nonchalant and amused "You know it!" was now replaced by what he was sure was… some_ kind_ of meaningful look.

Kurt swallowed hard and smiled "Well, good night." He said, practically in unison with his family. They were almost halfway through the parking lot when Blaine's voice rang out "Kurt! Wait up!"

Kurt turned to find him jogging up to them "You, huh, forgot your cell phone… it must've fallen off your pocket or something…" he handed Kurt the iPhone and with another dashing smile he muttered "Good night." Before walking back towards his sister.

"Not a stud, my ass." Burt muttered.

"DAD!"

"What? I'm just saying, the kid was looking at you like…"

"DAD!"

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing, he actually seems polite and nice, and he's good-looki-"

"DAD!" Kurt smacked the back of Burt's neck "Stop it. We are not talking about the completely hypothetical…"

"Hypothetical…! Pfff!" Burt sniggered.

"Oh, summer romances!" Carole sighed "I remember those… When I was young! But I don't think I ever had one with someone quite as strapping as that young man. You should go for it."

"Deirdre's in love with Finn." Kurt said quickly. _Desperate times call for desperate measures._

"What?"

"She has the hugest crush on Finn. She thinks he's sweeeet." Kurt teased, glad that the focus was on someone else for once "And just so you know, Finn, _I'm Yours _is totally going to be you guys' wedding song."

Finn looked at him slightly dumbfounded, having stopped walking altogether. Seriously, the boy could not think and walk at the same time? "But she's like ten…?"

"Oh, honey, when I was a little girl, I was eleven and your uncle's best friend used to come over all the time, I had the biggest crush on him. I thought we were meant to be together forever and get married with lots of children and live happily ever after." Carole smiled in her reverie.

"What happened?"

"I grew up." She shrugged.

"Anyway" Kurt pressed on "It's just a harmless crush… don't worry, Finn. It's not cheating on Rachel. A ten year old girl's idea of a boyfriend is just someone to hold hands with. It's actually pretty funny."

Finn frowned for a bit, but then there was a hint of a smile "I guess, it kind of is funny… Oh, I have an admirer! HA!"

"Kurt's is hotter, though. And age appropriate, too." Carole snickered, just before escaping inside the house.

"CAROLE!" his scowl almost came out a squeal as he followed her inside but went directly into his bedroom closing the door behind him, ignoring completely the fact that it was also Finn's room, who opened the door just a second after it'd been nearly slammed shut into his face.

"Relax, Kurt… we'll stop the teasing. But the guy's obviously into you. I mean, I think I saw him checking out your ass one too many times for him to be straight, and he was totally giving you the look back there…"

"Can we please not talk about this, Finn?" Kurt sighed "Or would you have me let slip a few things I have witnessed going on on our family couch, involving one Miss Rachel Berry, on more than one occasion, during dinner tomorrow night?

"Silence is golden." Finn said immediately, retreating to the bathroom.

Kurt smiled to himself, and dropped his body ungracefully onto his bed grabbing his iPhone, planning on a long game of Angry Birds before bed time, only to notice, upon unlocking it, that it was open on a new contact profile "Blaine Anderson."

Kurt bit his lip… Finally he decided Angry Birds could wait.

_You put your number on my phone…? – K_

The reply was surprisingly quick, as if Blaine had been expecting it.

_Are we playing the game "Name the obvious?" – B_

_So, so funny. But don't think you can compete with me on the witty comebacks front. I'm like the Yoda of those! Just a warning. – K_

_Just taking pointers from you, master Yoda! I promise to be a good padawan (which is a Jedi in training, in case you're not a Star Wars nerd and Yoda is as good as it gets when it comes to SW references from you). – B_

_Of course I know what a Padawan is. Have you met Finn? He IS my brother, I DO live with him, and sometimes he does get to pick the movies we see. When I'm feeling particularly generous, which, granted isn't that often. – K_

_Lol! I bet you just love those nights! For some weird reason (sarcasm there – see how fast I can learn?) picturing you watching Star Wars is pretty impossible without really laughing. Alhtoug, now I'd really love to watch it with you sometime – I bet the commentary will be flawless, oh Jedi Mater of wittiness. – B_

_Well, you do have my number! Even if I have a feeling you stole my cell for that, because I'm pretty sure it didn't just fall off my pocket. – K_

_And how can you be so sure? – B_

_The 'no crashing sound part' and the fact that it is as shiny and scratch less as brand new was a bit of a giveaway. - K_

_You are good…! It was just so we could make sure to meet again, you know… in case you ever feel up for a coffee or smtg. I promise, no creepy ulterior motives. – B_

_(Yes, I am… As are you with pick pocketing, which I'm not sure is a good thing… ;P but what was wrong with asking for my number?) Well seen as I really can't go to the beach before 16.30 (and I'm dead serious about it do NOT question that) I could def use something to do other than watch TV or read. I couldn't fit that much literature in my luggage. So, yeah, that sounds really nice – K_

_Where would be the interest in just asking for your number? I'm special/unique/extraordinary, remember? I had to do something to deserve such a flattering status! Plus, I kind of wanted to surprise you and I'm really afraid of rejection anyway – it's true, my text books said so. Anyway… sorry if it freaked you out, but it was just really me being silly. In hindsight probably not the best way to go about it… - B_

_Relax, I'm not freaked out in the least. You did give it back with an added bonus. Maybe you'll come in handy one day. I am curious about how you learnt to be so discreet, though… - K_

_You're talking to a good old Oliver Twist, here. I will never reveal my tricks. My training, however, was a bit less extreme than Oliver's. Country Club afternoons when you're a child can get incredibly tedious when you have nothing to do and those people are absolutely painful to listen to for more than five minutes. I would entertain myself with little things, one of them being switching their wallets and cells, and stuff like that… They never found me out. I'm really proud of myself for that. – B_

_(Country club? Are you rich or something?) You still do it sometimes, though? Just a hunch… - K_

_I like to say my parents are rich. I'm trying to make my own success. But yes. And yes to the last question, too… You know, it IS incredibly boring… I have no better excuse than that. – B_

_There is no better excuse than that. I'd do the same… Take me with you one day and teach me your ways. That way you can pay me back for my training in the art of wittiness… We'll be each other's Yodas! – K_

_That sounds amazingly promising! I'll hold you to that! – B_

_I certainly hope you will! – K_

_Sweet…! (which, by the way, you are too) – B _

Kurt stared at the text wide eyed for a good minute before realizing he should most definitely answer or Blaine would think he was freaking out or something. By this time Finn had returned, towel wrapped around his waist and was eyeing Kurt suspiciously.

_Just let me know when you're up for a coffee, then, and we'll discuss our training schedule details. (And thanks, I try, it doesn't come naturally)– K_

_So I've noticed. Are you making yet another exception for me? I really am a beautiful snowflake! – B_

Kurt giggled and Finn turned his head to stare at his brother "What're you doing?"

"Nothing!" of course his voice just had to betray him.

"Oh my god, you're texting him!" Finn lunged onto Kurt's bed, and Kurt tried to escape but, surprisingly for someone as clumsy as Finn, he was able to capture the device and read the text. His brow frowned clearly disappointed by the lack of sexual innuendos "What? Beautiful snowflake?"

"It's… a private joke." Kurt said as he took back his phone and started answering the text, not even bothering to hide it from Finn's eyes hovering over his shoulder.

_Not so sure about the snowflake part. I think you might be a little too tanned and dark haired for that. – K_

"Dude, you're getting flirty!"

"Finn shut up or I will cut you in your sleep!" He couldn't, however, help the blush that had taken over his cheeks. Yes, he had been incredibly forward – but so had Blaine – more than once! Blaine had been the one to say "beautiful snowflake" would be a perfect description for Kurt, stole Kurt's phone just to make sure they had each other's numbers, and then he'd gone and said that Kurt was sweet too, deliberately – not accidentally like Kurt had. He'd already admitted to being gay and Kurt was now pretty sure he was single, too, because this was not the kind of conversation you'd have with someone if you were in a relationship, right? – so hell yes, Kurt was going to flirt and he was going to enjoy every minute of it.

_I'm trying to think of something similar to a snowflake but darker, and nothing comes to mind. Damn it. – B_

_Might be sleep deprivation. It IS late. Maybe we should just go to sleep, and face our nightmares. – K_

"What?" Finn said over Kurt's shoulder, but Kurt merely glanced back at him with a light scowl, not bothering to answer that.

_You just had to bring that up! I'm not even gonna bother wishing you sweet dreams or anything of that sort… - B_

_Well, here's to hoping our subconsciouses don't scar us for life tonight. Bye – K_

_Bye bye, snowflake. – B_

Kurt giggled at that. Oh… he was giggling an awful lot. He suddenly felt like a twelve year old, and he suddenly felt horribly embarrassed by that. _Oh, well, what're you gonna do…?_

"Good night, Finn." He said sternly as he pushed Finn out of his bed and set his iPhone on his bedside table with a smile tugging at his lips before getting up to start his moisturizing routine.

**xXxXxXxXx**

**ihihi, I love writing flirty conversations! sorry if I got carried away at any point... What did you think? lemme know! XD**

**Don't forget to check out the illustrations... **

**Next chapter will include a sweaty Blaine, Blaine's friends, Finn emabrrassing him in front of them and sinign at the beach :)**

**Mucho love, until then!**


	5. Surprise Encounters

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

Sweat drenching down his face (hell, down his whole body) Blaine kept his fast pace, music blaring at his ears. He glanced at his watch – it was time to turn around, and so he did. Half an hour one way, half an hour back – that was his workout routine – every single morning during the holidays. The beaches in that area were small carvings into cliffs so he couldn't do it by the sea – his morning jog was from the front door of his house to some point in the middle of a road that accompanied the seashore, and then back.

He blinked back the drops of sweat threatening to fall onto his eyes, and wiped his forehead with his arm, to no avail because his forearm was just as drenched. Usually he would spend his jog focusing on the music that kept his rhythm steady and fast, or on his breathing, but that morning he just couldn't help thinking about his talk with Kurt the night before and then their texts… They had flirted, that much was sure. Was today too soon to call him up for coffee after lunch?

In attempts to answer that question his brain would go into a heated debate that would always end up leading nowhere but Blaine remembering Kurt saying he was sweet and then not denying he was beautiful… and then he felt giddy. And then he really wanted to see Kurt again – especially if he'd wear skinny jeans like the previous night (_ohhh, hot damn…! Can look but can't touch? It's murderous!_). And then he really wanted to call Kurt and have coffee with him that afternoon. And then he really wanted to impress Kurt. And then he really didn't want to seem that desperate, because that was certainly not impressive at all. And then maybe he should wait for tomorrow. And then maybe he really should pay more attention to where he was going because he'd just collided against someone and had it not been for the wall right next to him he would've been sent flying towards the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" He gasped, yanking his headphones away "I didn-Kurt?"

Kurt was sitting up on the pavement inspecting a scraped elbow with a grimace but his head snapped as Blaine called out his name "Blaine!"

"I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" he dropped down right next to Kurt taking his arms into his hands and examining the damaged skin himself.

"I'm… ok…" Kurt stammered "Huh, help me up, please?"

Blaine promptly stood up and held a hand out for Kurt to pull him upwards. Kurt frowned as his hands flew to rub at his hip "Auch…!" he half smiled.

"I'm so so so sorry!" Blaine wanted to do something to help but he had no idea what.

"It's fine… My fault too… I was too distracted looking at that woman's horrible fashion sense to notice you…" he chuckled, still rubbing gently at his hip.

_I was too distracted thinking about how to impress you to notice you._

"Yeah… are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, just a scrape." He waved dismissively "Oh! Your knees are bleeding!"

Blaine looked down and saw blood trickling down his shins. "Oh… I…" he frowned and then remembered he'd practically crashed himself down, on his knees, in his haste to assist Kurt. Smooth. "I… scraped them against the wall, I guess… didn't really notice… I'm fine. Damn! Is that yours?" he cringed noticing a groceries bag sprawled on the floor with what looked like egg yolk leaking out of it.

"Oh… And there goes my breakfast." Kurt sighed.

"I'm so sorry!"

"Blaine, if you apologize one more time I swear to God I'll report you to the police for aggravated assault!" he mocked "It's just eggs… My parents still haven't gotten round to go grocery shopping properly and I just really needed to go get some stuff for breakfast."

"Oh… well… huh… I…" Blaine wanted to face palm himself so much every two seconds, but resisted every urge to do so, which was a great achievement given what he blurted out next "Have breakfast at my house!"

"Seriously?"

_Oh yeah, Blaine, because that's a great idea! Have him come to your house, where your bedroom looks like a hurricane went by, without even warning Nanna about it, and having Deeds there to totally make your life a living hell because she saw every single text last night and tortured you into admitting you had a 'crush' on Kurt which in Deeds' world is the same as being totally in love and wanting to get married, and then there's the fact that OH MY GOD you're in your workout clothes completely drenched in sweat and probably smelling like a fucking horse_!

"Huh…sure!" he fought the cringe his face was desperate to give into and smiled instead "My grandma makes awesome breakfasts and she always loves visits… yeah… come, it'd be awesome! I mean, unless you really have to have breakfast with your family, which would make sense, and in which case I should totally buy you new eggs…"

"Blaine, you're rambling, and my family's still sound asleep, I'm just an early riser, so ok…" Kurt smiled "I'll go. I'll bet Deirdre wants to know Finn's thoughts on last night, anyway." He chuckled.

Blaine sighed in relief, so Kurt wasn't crept out or anything. "Huh… ok, then… This way…" he smiled, awkwardly as he picked up the plastic bag so he could dump it in the next trash can he found.

"So what's your excuse?" Kurt said after a while, a small smile playing at his lips.

"What?"

"I'm an early riser, I seriously cannot wake up later than eight… What's your excuse for being out and about so early?"

"Oh! It's the only hour of the day I can work out and not die of heat exhaustion. Speaking of which, sorry for the…" he gestured generally towards his sweaty and smelly self.

Kurt looked away with a smile and a small shrug and Blaine bit back one of those girlish giggles because he was so damn cute!

"Is Deirdre going to be up?"

"You betcha!" Blaine chuckled "She wakes up at seven! E-ve-ry day! How do you think I manage to wake up at eight to go running? She's the most effective alarm clock ever…"

"That's… awful!" He confessed "I'd kill Finn if he ever woke me up before appropriate hours, but then again I always wake up early and certainly earlier than him. He's like a bear in hibernation – he can sleep for twelve hours straight and then still take a nap! It's weird, he's weird… Speaking of which… Finn was, as per usual, pretty clueless… but I told him about your sister's little crush and he thought it was funny. I think he might go along with it." Kurt said, his voice conveying something between amusement and concern.

Blaine shrugged "As long as they use protection." He tossed the plastic bag in a trash can and turned to smile at Kurt "So, what're your plans for the day?"

"Besides breakfast with you?" Kurt pondered for a moment "Hum… go home, read for a while… probably help Carole with lunch, attempt to yank Finn out of bed so we can have lunch as a family, stay indoors until the heat peak is over… and then beach… I guess."

"Sounds exciting!"

"Tell me about it! I'll write a book on it one day… 'The Great Adventures of Spending a Family Vacation'" he sighed "Well, there's always Finn to entertain me… the incredibly random things that come out of that mouth still manage to surprise me every time."

"How long have you been step brothers?"

"Two years… a little less, actually…"

"It's funny, the way you talk about him, it's like he's really your brother… it's a bit like me and Deeds, I mean, I love her to death, but she can be a handful sometimes." Blaine pointed towards a small house just a few yards away with a red door but kept talking "You're always insulting him, but anyone can tell you actually care a lot about each other."

"It's… a long story…" Kurt smiled, and Blaine thought he could see a tone of bitterness in it "But now he really feels like the brother I never had, and I guess it's kind of cool having a brother to… you know, rely on, especially Finn. If I'm going to be honest, I may tease him a lot and call him thick and whatnot, but he really is one of the kindest hearted and genuinely nice people I know – he's always trying to do the right thing. His heart is always in the right place, even if sometimes he's wrong, he doesn't mean any harm… ever. I guess… right now, I would trust him with my life. Oh God, I'm getting too soft! I hate him, hate him!" Kurt couldn't help the smirk as he tried to mock himself, and Blaine had to laugh at that.

"Yeah, he did strike me as one of those clueless but good people. You hate him because he's clueless, but you can't help loving him because he's always really good, too…" Blaine said a soft smile – he had gotten that impression of the tall boy, but first impressions can be completely off base and it was good to have a confirmation that he wasn't the worst big brother in History, practically throwing his sister at this complete stranger.

Finally reaching the red door he shoved a key into it, turning the lock and opening. "Nanna!" he called out as he stepped inside gesturing for Kurt to follow him.

Kurt trailed uneasily after him as they stepped into the small living room. His Grandma peeked out of the kitchen door – her hair was a dark shade of grey, and her face was wrinkled and damaged from too much sun, but she still looked a lot younger than she actually was (her age was still a family mystery, though) and she was almost as lively as Deirdre on a sugar high. "Oh hi Blaine…" she smiled, a question in her tone.

"Huh, this is Kurt…" Blaine explained, shooting a warning look at her that meant to say _mention anything slightly embarrassing and see what happens_, since Deeds had made sure grandma was up to par with Blaine having 'fallen in love' with Kurt, which, in her exact words, "was perfect because Kurt's Finn's brother, so we'll be like super tight forever – Kurt and Blaine can get married and I'll marry Finn and we'll be each other's best men and maid of honors, and it would be so awesome!"

"Kurt, this is my grandma…"

"Maria Vilela, nice to meet you!" she smiled shaking Kurt's hand who nodded and smiled back.

"I kind of literally ran into him just now and smashed his breakfast ingredients… so I thought he could come over for breakfast. As an apology."

She nodded amused at Blaine's rambling explanation "Of course!" she clasped her hands together "In fact, Deirdre and I baked this amazing chocolate cake yesterday, and there's no better way to start your day than with a good slice of chocolate and a good orange juice, am I right?"

Kurt seemed to have lost his voice as he merely nodded with an embarrassed smile. Blaine, however, at the mention of chocolate cake had almost forgotten who he'd brought along for breakfast "Uhhhh! That cake's heaven!" he nearly sprinted towards the kitchen.

"Well, come in, don't be shy!" he heard his grandma saying back in the living room and felt like kicking himself for leaving Kurt completely alone with his grandma.

As the two of them joined Blaine in the kitchen he was already cutting out generous slices of cake and placing them on plates. "Where's Deeds, nanna?"

"Upstairs on the terrace, why don't you two upstairs, while I squeeze out some oranges?"

Blaine nodded and nudged Kurt along back towards the living room and past it to a door that lead to a corridor at the end of which there was a staircase.

"Wasn't your grandma Portuguese?" Kurt asked, his voice hushed.

Blaine looked confused at the question for a second but quickly understood "She lived in the USA for almost fifteen years, that's why she speaks perfect English… That's how my parents met, while my grandparents were living in the states."

They'd reached the top of the stairs and Blaine opened the door to the terrace "Hey Deeds…"

The little girl looked up from the journal where she'd been scribbling and her face broke into a huge smile as she saw Kurt peering over her brother "Kurt!"

"Hi!" he waved.

"Is Finn with you?" she asked, half excited, half scared, as she tried erasing the wrinkles on her clothes.

Blaine chuckled "No… it's just Kurt."

"But I come bearing good news and advice!" Kurt smiled as he plopped himself down next to her on one of the white plastic chairs. He continued upon Deirdre's questioning gaze "Finn said you were very cute, and he had a lot of fun yesterday." His tone was gossipy, and Blaine thought he looked adorable as he leaned into his sister with a sly smile and winked at her.

"I'll just leave you two to your gossiping and go take a quick shower, ok?"

Breakfast was pretty much awesome. Blaine kept quiet most of the meal while he watched Deeds grill Kurt with the craziest questions about Finn and how to seduce him (because apparently Blaine's advice wasn't good enough).

Kurt had held his ground fairly well, walking the thin, dangerous line between amusing her and making fun of her, without ever falling on the wrong side, which just made Blaine solely want to sit back and watch Kurt do his magic even more. They were at some point plotting outfits!

The fact that Blaine could've done the same and just as good a job as Kurt never occurred to either of them, but, hey, why go to your big brother when there's a fabulous guy in your kitchen who Blaine was more than happy to just watch as he talked and laughed.

"Gotta get home!" Kurt squealed as he caught a glimpse of his watch.

Blaine glanced towards the kitchen clock and it was almost eleven. Ah… time flies when you're having fun. Blaine was quick to jump to his feet, shooing his sister discreetly behind his back (and even if she didn't get his point Blaine was lucky enough that his grandma was clever and had grabbed the little girl directing her towards the sink with a "you need to help me with these dishes!"), and escort Kurt to the front door.

"So… I'll see you at the beach?"

"Yeah, sure, you'll probably see Finn first, but definitely." He said stepping outside and shooting just another quick smile over his shoulder before starting down the streets.

In a fit of bravery (and maybe a little bit of stupidity) Blaine called out "Sweet!"

His stomach flipped as Kurt stopped dead on his tracks and glanced back with a deep shade of red tainting his cheeks. There was a flash of a smile and then he resumed to walking slightly faster and stiffer. Blaine chuckled, feeling his own cheeks burning slightly as he closed the door behind him.

xXxXx

When he reached the beach, Deeds having managed to convince him to give her a piggy back ride, his jaw dropped at the large group of teenagers sitting in a mess of colorful towels, bags and coolers filled with all sorts of drinks from beers to sodas.

"BLAINE!" one of the girls shouted immediately jumping to her feet to run in his direction!

"Pipa!" he gasped, having already been attacked with her hug. The tall lean girl let go of him with a wide smile "You guys are here?"

"We arrived yesterday…" Another girl, Diana, answered from behind her. Diana was short (even shorter than Blaine, which was saying something) and had messy dark hair dripping water all over the place as she'd just come out of the water. Blaine and her were often mistaken for siblings because not only did they have a stupid amount of similar features (height, built, hair, eyes, skin tone…) she spoke near perfect English, unlike the rest of the group whose English was heavy with accent or an amusing lack of vocabulary (the worst was by far Pipa who needed a translator for almost every word). Mafalda's English (she was tall and had long, thick black hair to compliment her golden skin tone) was the second best as she was currently studying in the Czech Republic and had to take most of her classes in English.

Then there was Margarida, tall and a little bit too thin (except for her ass, which was HUGE, though in a good way, as everyone in that group of friends made sure she would not forget with constant jokes) who made up for any accent or grammar mistake with her constant laughing and relaxing vibes. Sara was the last of the girls – the only blonde one out of the group. She was generally more quiet and serene than everyone else, but that wasn't saying much taking into account the crazy amount of shit those people got into.

As for the boys, there was António, the owner of the house they usually stayed at for two weeks every summer, (which Blaine had to admit was, BY FAR, the sexiest one in the group even if Blaine preferred blondes or something along those lines, if you get what I mean) whose skin was so tanned with was practically chocolate brown – but whose personality was, to say the least, a little bitchy. There was Paulo, who was more built than what Blaine recalled form the previous summer – and then Blaine remembered that he'd joined the Military Academy - and, like Diana, had exactly the same eye color as Blaine (again, they were sometimes mistaken for brothers – but this time it really was just the eyes). Guilherme, Sara's boyfriend, more commonly referred to as Gui, was a humongous piece of human and made it his mission in life to annoy the girls as much as he could. There was also JD who was a bit on the hyper and silly side, but still managed to be pretty interesting and smart when he wanted and whose best friend was Rui who said about an average of five words an hour – which was perfect since he was Pipa's boyfriend and she spoke (well, actually more like squealed) more than enough for the both of them.

They were a group of friends that Blaine had met four summers before - they always spent two weeks at Antonio's place since they were sixteen (on their own, no adult supervision, which made Blaine a little jealous because his parents would never let him do anything of the sorts!), and since Blaine spent almost his whole Summer, every year, in Porto Côvo they had, year after year, kept meeting – and it had also really helped that they had managed, somehow, to remain pretty close over Facebook during the rest of the year. So, they had become his "summer friends".

Blaine sighed as he eyed the borderline gypsy camp they had going on trying to shake off the surprise, while Deirdre had already started running along to pester JD, knowing to stay away from Pipa who was practically allergic to children "Hey!"

"What's up?" Gui bumped fists with Blaine on his way to the cooler, from where he retrieved a beer bottle throwing it at Blaine who caught it just in time.

"Thanks!" he muttered, uncapping it and sipping the cool beverage "It's cool to see you guys! You could've warned me or something, I would've asked my Grandma to make you some dinner or lunch or whatever…"

"Oh, honey please!" Diana teased "as if you don't know us… your grandma would have had to cook for a small army… But tell you what, why don't you come over tonight… Since we arrived yesterday, and it was already pretty late we really didn't get around to doing much rather than sit around and play some card games… So we were thinking of making up for it by having a themed night, tonight I mean…"

Blaine raised an eyebrow.

"Just improvise some kind of costume and come over…" she brushed off before continuing to more important things "We're having a masquerade ball!" she said her voice trying to convey the importance of said event.

"You people are crazy! You're having a masquerade ball with ten people?"

"Eleven if you're coming." Mafalda pointed out from where she was sitting on her towel, shuffling a deck of cards.

"Can I come too?" Deeds called out from where she was hanging from JD's back.

"Not happening sweet cheeks…" Blaine sighed "I don't even know if I'm coming, and there's no way grandma would ever let you ten feet near these people after seven p.m.!"

The group laughed, and Blaine did sense the relief. As much as they were happy to keep the small girl entertained during their beach afternoons they wouldn't be that happy with having a kid amongst them when partying at night – which usually involved too much drinking (well, to be fair, there wasn't that much drinking involved, they really were just a bit on the crazy side and barely needed to get tipsy before doing all sorts of insane stuff) and too much truth or dare. Deeds pouted for a bit but noticing her brother's stone cold expression dropped it immediately.

"Why wouldn't you come?" Margarida frowned, taking a sip from a beer.

Blaine laid out his own towel next to her and was about to answer when Deeds noticed someone and squealed making JD flinch and cover his ears with a grimace "FINN!"

Well, that might save Blaine the trouble of making up some kind of excuse, but it would also mean awkward explanations and avoiding knowing glares from the girls. Blaine turned his head to see the freakishly tall (even taller than Gui, and that was REALLY saying something) teen, flanked by his parents, searching for a place.

Trying to tone down his sister's excitement Blaine gestured her to calm down, but turned to wave and smile nonetheless.

"Uhhhh, tell them to sit here… _me likes it…_" Diana whispered, clearly meaning she found Finn appealing enough.

"I won't have to, Deeds will make sure they do… She's in looove with Finn." Blaine laughed before adding "and he has a girlfriend, so really, that's a no-no, Diana."

"Who're they, though?" Mafalda glanced over her shoulder to the three people that were now making their way over as she started handing out cards to António, Rui, Margarida and Pipa, while they sat in a circle.

"Just some guys we met yesterday at the beach, and Deeds fell in love with Finn, the tall guy. Those are his parents…" he explained.

"Where's Kurt?" Deeds said scanning the beach.

"Who's Kurt?"

"Kurt's Finn's stepbrother… And he's not here yet because he won't come while the Sun's still strong… he's afraid to get a sunburn." He chuckled lightly "But don't worry, Deeds, he'll come."

Finn's parents, eyeing the group suspiciously (Burt's eyes lingering on the beer bottles peeking out of the coolers), set down their towels and stuff a few feet away from the group as the teenager continued towards them with a nice smile "Hey Blaine, hey Deirdre, how are you?"

"Hi Finn!" the little girl half squealed as she got up and nearly ran towards him, all eyes following her in amusement "I'm great. You?"

"Awesome!" Finn held out a hand for a high five which she gladly took.

"Hey Finn…" Blaine smiled "These are some friends of ours…" he continued to introduce each of them.

"You can sit with us if you want" Mafalda offered with a kind smile, and then pointing towards the cards she asked "Fancy a game?"

Finn sat down with them after a word with his parents and played some games as the group talked loudly and laughed at the stupidest things, as per usual. Deeds seemed to be attached at his hip, but, Blaine noticed with a warm feeling of gratitude towards the boy, Finn didn't seem the least bit put off by it, and instead kept playing with her and making her feel included in everything. It might've been a strange thought to have, taking into account Deeds' crush, but Blaine couldn't help feeling that Finn would make a great father someday. And he could also now really see what Kurt meant – Finn wasn't exactly the brightest or smartest person, but everything he said or did came from a good place – even if it was embarrassing Blaine to the most horrible extent.

"Oh by the way, Blaine, thanks for stealing Kurt away for breakfast! He was going to make pancakes! He'd promised, and then I wake up and… what? No pancakes!" he shot Blaine a disapproving glare, but quickly replaced it with a smile "Though, man, I gotta say you guys are being kinda cute!"

Every head in the group turned towards Blaine.

"Oh, they didn't know?" Finn understood as he took in Blaine's red face and everyone's growing smirks "Sorry, dude…"

"You're dating someone you met yesterday? You slut!" Diana teased him poking him.

"We're not dating!"

"They're not dating…" Finn complied with a smirk "They're just being sickeningly cute dancing around each other with flirty texts and little glances and smiles and… yeah… it's really funny to watch… but I think if you don't get it on soon, I'm gonna get a cavity or something just from watching it."

"You know," Blaine sighed "when your brother complained about your mouth not knowing when to shut up I thought he was overreacting, but I'm beginning to think he was right."

Everyone started laughing and no matter of many death glares he shot his friends or Finn the issue would not be dropped. He decided to give up after Finn started talking about last night's texts, fishing out his cell with a defeated sigh.

_Kurt, please come to the beach! Save me! There's a bunch of friends of mine here and your brother's embarrassing me! I see your pain, now! Please! I'll pay for your cancer treatments! – B_

_And they say I'm a drama queen. Relax. I'll be there in ten. – K_

_Oh, wow, that was easy! I thought I'd have to make a whole lot more of begging. –B_

_I'm bored, it's already almost four thirty and I wanna see Finn embarrassing you. – K_

_You're so selfless. – B_

_And sweet. – K_

And that was that, Blaine was smiling like an idiot and everyone was rolling their eyes and teasing him. Blaine thanked God that Pipa was lousy at speaking English, because he just knew she would NOT shut up. Diana just kept smirking and sketching on her notebook letting a chuckle or two escape every so often. She had always been his "best friend" during these summer afternoons, so she knew better than to press it.

Blaine knew Kurt had made good on his promise when Deeds suddenly started sprinting through the towels, sending sand all over people's towels, bags, bodies and faces – and those were the moments Blaine liked to pretend he was not her brother – and attached herself to Kurt's waist, almost fifty feet away from them.

The boy chuckled and ruffled her hair, taking off his sunglasses and putting them on her as he searched for Blaine, who just waved discreetly from where he was still sitting, locking eyes with him for a second. He could feel everyone trying to decide whether to stare at him or at Kurt, and he could swear he heard Finn chuckle.

Kurt was wearing a skin tight white T-shirt over his olive green swim trunks and had his towel draped over one shoulder and his messenger bag over the other. Deeds grabbed his hand and started to pull him towards the group. Kurt paused by his parents just quickly enough to say "hi…" and continued to obediently follow the small girl.

He stood awkwardly, towering over the large group of teenagers all looking up at him, expectantly, and finally Blaine remembered maybe he should do something "Oh, huh, sit down!" he signaled the half of his own towel that was unoccupied and smiled to himself as Kurt took that space instead of laying down his own towel and sitting on it "Everyone, this is Kurt, Kurt this is…"

Everyone jumped at the chance to introduce themselves with smiles and winks. The girls, were obviously giggly and Blaine wanted to smack them.

Everyone fell quickly back into easy conversation, with one or two trips down to the sea every once in a while (which, unfortunately for Blaine, Kurt was never part of, not even bothering to take his T-shirt off). Blaine had decided to stick with talking to Kurt, because he knew interacting with anyone else would mean deadly embarrassment. Eventually Diana or Mafalda would sit and talk with them for while, mature enough not to comment on anything about how they looked cute together and whatnot, and there was even a short bit when Finn and Deeds came to sit with them and they had played a small game of cards.

It was around six in the afternoon when Margarida decided to pull out her guitar and everyone's squeals and sighs of excitement accompanied the gesture.

"What do you say Mr. Anderson?"

Blaine just smiled and raised his hands in defeat as she started strumming it, knowing full well what she meant to do… immediately Diana had hopped to her feet pulling Blaine with her.

"_Do you hear me? I'm talking to you! Across the water, across the deep blue ocean. Under the pen sky, oh my, baby, I'm trying…_" Blaine started with a chuckle and Diana was quick to accompany him. Her voice wasn't exactly pitch perfect but she held her ground, and because they were such good friends they would always sound amazing while singing it… but of course it was a short lived duet because it was less than five verses before everyone started joining in. Blaine chanced a glance towards Kurt who was smiling widely, his eyebrows raised in pleased surprise. Everyone swayed with their "uhhhhhs" until Margarida strummed the last chord.

Oh, how he'd missed this jamming sessions in late afternoons at the beach! "Gimmie that!" he reached for the guitar which she was quick to hand over. He sat down, quickly enough, and started playing the one music he knew would both amuse and impress Kurt… The girls clapped as he began the opening lines for Teenage Dream. He heard Kurt let out a small howl of laughter next to him, bumping their shoulders together when Blaine was done and muttering "I can't believe you got me to like _that _song…!"

Blaine ducked his head, biting his lip, trying not to grin like an idiot "Well, I'm just great like that."

"Oh, cocky much?" Kurt clicked his tongue in mock disapproval and Blaine laughed.

To their surprise Finn improvised a set of drums with their coolers, a few soda cans and beer bottles and with Diana's pencils he started to create a good beat.

"You're a drummer?"

"And a singer…" Kurt smiled towards his brother, and the look that the both of them exchanged Blaine could tell was filled with sentiment and happy memories, and he made a mental note of asking Kurt about that later that day.

"Oh, is that so? Why don't you sing something?"

"Can you play… Hotel California?"

"Sure!"

"Then hit it!"

And just like that their jam session was in full swing and everyone still at the beach was either starting to crowd around them or watching them happily from where the lay comfortably in the late afternoon sun.

They'd been at it for nearly an hour when Blaine just had to interrupt it "Wait, wait, wait!" he held his hands out and turned to Kurt "You're going to NYU to Tisch, you want to make it on Broadway, I'm going to bet you can sing!"

Kurt chuckled "Oh trust me I _can_ sing…!"

"Then, by all means! show us what you got!"

"I'm more of a show tunes kind of person… Broadway and stuff, that's why…. Oh, what the heck, play me something, anything from the Beatles!"

Blaine raised his eyebrows at the unexpected request but started with his own favorite Beatles' song. He expected Kurt to sound good, but he did not expect him to sound heavenly as he started in perfect pitch "_Here I stand hand in hand, turn my face to the wall, if she's gone I can't go on, feeling two foot small…._"

By the middle of the song he felt Kurt's hand brushing his shoulder and as he looked up he saw the silent request, and was more than happy to oblige, joining him for the last chorus, and thrilled to find that their voices complemented each other perfectly. Everyone clapped wildly before continuing, the guitar flying from hand to hand as everyone wanted to add their contribution to their impromptu set list, even if Margarida, Blaine, Gui and António were the only ones to actually play the guitar.

"So Blainey-boo, are you coming over tonight or what?" Diana smacked him on the back, as António tried to teach Finn how to play a few chords "Please do…"

Blaine shot a quick glance towards Kurt who was talking to Deeds and Mafalda, as they walked slowly by the sea, letting the water brush at their feet.

"They can come too, silly! Just come!" she smiled "It'll be awesome, tell them to dress as silly as they can… It's what we'll do."

"I…"

"Oh, please, I know you're still trying to impress the guy but he's already gaga for you, so just come over, bring him and maybe we can even help you guys out with all that unresolved sexual tension…" and then she quietly mouthed 'vodka'.

"Hey!" he gave her a warning glare "I'll see what I can do… I'll text you, but I still have to have dinner at home, either way."

"No problem… you know us, we'll be having dinner by midnight… speaking of which – HEY GUYS!" she called out pushing Blaine out of the way "We should get going or dinner won't be ready before three a.m. _again_."

"Oh relax!" António shrugged turning back to Finn, who'd given up on learning how to play the guitar, apparently "What do you want to know how to say in Portuguese?"

Blaine immediately chuckled, knowing this would be good. You, know, that really bad kind of good.

"Huh…" The boy's cheeks turned a dark shade of red but he pressed on nonetheless "I love you, and I think you're the most amazing, talented and beautiful girl in the world. Oh, and also, I miss you."

"Alright…" António shrugged "Eu."

"Eu."

"Amo-te." Blaine frowned slightly as António seemed to be actually telling him the right translation.

"Amo-te."

"E acho…"

"E acho…" Finn repeated, smiling proud of himself, as Kurt, Mafalda and Deeds returned with amused frowns on their faces. Kurt shot Blaine a questioning look but Blaine just smiled, and gestured for him to sit back down next to him.

"Que o meu…" _oh, here we go._

"Que o meu…"

"Irmão…"_ don't you dare, António._ Everyone's lips started twisting into little smirks.

"Irmão…"

"devia foder…" _CHRIST! _And now the chuckles were starting, but Finn, clueless as ever, pressed on, smiling.

"devia foder…"

"com o gajo…" Oh… shit… Everyone was now trying to keep a straight face and Blaine really wanted to punch each and every one of them. Only Kurt was maintaining an honestly straight face, even if he'd understood by now, that Finn was most definitely not declaring his love for his girlfriend.

"com o gajo…"

"Do cabelo encaracolado." _I hate him, hate him so much!_

"Do cabelo…?"

"Encaracoldado." Finn grinned "Did I say that right?"

Everyone roared with laughter and António slapped his back "You most certainly did!"

"Cool!" Finn beamed, proud of himself "Could you help me write that down, so I don't forget?"

Blaine wanted to burry himself in a deep dark hole. "You speak Portuguese? What exactly did they get my brother to say?" Kurt's voice was barely a whisper and somehow, even embarrassed as he was, it still sent shiver down his spine. He couldn't bring himself to tell Kurt what they'd actually said, so he mumbled "I Love You. And I think… you should fuck me." _Well, it is pretty much what he said… just the 'you' and 'me' part do not really refer to Rachel and Finn._

"Oh… ok… That's not that bad." Kurt shrugged "Not particularly original, but I guess it could be worse."

"What about you?" António grinned towards Kurt "Do you want to learn how to say anything in Portuguese?"

"Thanks, but no thanks, I have the basics pinned down, and I most certainly do not need to know how to tell people I'm an idiot or that I think they should get a face transplant, or whatever it was that you were gonna trick me into saying." Kurt smirked, squaring his shoulders and holding his chin high. "Still, muito obrigado."

Blaine burst out laughing, along with pretty much everyone except Finn who was now frowning, deep in thought, and António who was just grinning and muttering "Oh, you're good…!"

"So… what _did_ I say?" Finn asked after a while causing another eruption of laughter.

"You said: I love you and I think my brother should fuck the guy with the curly hair." Margarida shrugged with a small laugh.

Blaine saw from the corner of his eye Kurt's head snapping towards him and his blush only got even deeper "sorry…" he mumbled, but was surprised when Kurt only shook his head and chuckled slightly "Figures…"

"Not cool!" Finn scowled at António "He's my little brother, I can't say that stuff about him!"

"Finn!" Kurt snapped "I am _not _your little brother! I am your older step brother!"

Everyone watched the two of them, highly amused as Finn blushed yet again "Well, I still don't like the thought of talking about your sex life!"

"Yeah, well, I'll agree with that one. Please do refrain!"

"I will!" Finn almost gasped.

"Hilarious as this is…" Diana, ever the voice of reason cut in "We really need to go, because we all know it'll take us two hours before António finally gives in and starts making dinner, so…"

"Why don't you stay longer and someone else will make dinner?" Deeds smiled.

"No one touches dinner!" António almost barked. Everyone else rolled their eyes, sighed and shrugged, already knowing better than to question his reign over the food "Let's go!"

They packed everything up, tossing the last beer at Blaine, who smiled and thanked them, before turning to leave. "COME!" Diana shouted over her shoulder.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

**Sorry for the lack of flirting in this chapter… I couldn't really fit anymore than I did in it.**

**Next chapter: a masquerade ball and a little bit of psychoanalysis.**

**Oh, and BTW, just in case you really want to know:**

**I love you, and I think you're the most amazing, talented and beautiful girl in the world. ****I miss you. – (Eu) Amo-te, e (eu) acho que és a rapariga mais fantástica, talentosa e bonita do mundo. ****(Eu) tenho saudades tuas. (in Portuguese we don't really need the subject pronoun, because the verb conjugation already gives us that information, so, even though 'I' translates to 'Eu', you don't really need to say it, you can just omit it.)**

**Muito Obrigado – Thank you very much.**

**Anything else you want to know how to say in Portuguese? XP**


	6. The Mask and the Wall

**Sorry for the long wait. I was redoing my bedroom, all alone. Moving furniture around when you 5'3'' ft tall is not that easy… Alas, sorry for the delay, again. This is part of the party.**

**xXxXx**

Kurt watched half amazed as the large group of friends walked away laughing and talking loudly as they joked around each other, shooting a few glances back towards them every once in a while with pleasant smiles on their faces.

"They're quite the bunch!" Kurt sighed after a moment of silence. He was still sitting on Blaine's towel, and that fact made him feel terribly giddy, but he tried really hard not to show it.

"Oh, you have no idea! It's insane… I met them four years ago, they practically save my summers!" Blaine smiled fondly "They're actually pretty amazing… Some of them have been friends since they were six! They were all in high school together and even though each of them is in a different university they never lost touch and still come here for two weeks every summer."

"Oh wow!"

"Well, maybe it helps that this is a small country so they're all still studying in the same city, except Mafalda, but still, I gotta say – they've got something special about them."

"I know what you mean…" Finn smiled from where he'd been playing thumb wars with Deirdre "We have that with our old glee club. Or at least I hope we do." The two brothers sheared another look full of happiness and nostalgia, and it was so genuine the Blaine's heart warmed a little, just seeing the exchange.

"What's a glee club?" Deirdre asked looking between Finn and Kurt.

"It's a singing club." Kurt said "Like a show choir. And you get to go to competitions against other glee clubs. We won Nationals this year. It was… the best feeling in the world!"

"Yeah, so awesome!" Finn smiled, his eyes slightly lost in memories.

"Congrats, then! I didn't have a glee club at my school, but I was in the theater club and we did musicals sometimes, so I kind of had my chance to connect with music there…"

They chatted for a while about their school lives, Finn lending his humongous T-shirt to Deirdre who was beginning to be cold. Kurt giggled at how cute and giddy she looked – he even caught her sniffing the T-shirt once or twice.

"So, you speak Portuguese, hey?" Kurt nudged Blaine slightly with his shoulder.

"Well… I can manage. My grandma used my summers to teach me, so… But I'm not like completely fluent. I understand everything they say, but when it comes to speaking, I make my fair share of mistakes, especially when it comes to verbs, and the pronunciation of some words… it's deadly, seriously. I do have to stop and think before speaking when I do speak Portuguese with anyone."

"Oh, alright… Can you say something in Portuguese?" Finn smiled.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Anything…" Finn shrugged.

"Qualquer coisa."

"What did you say?" Finn asked eagerly curious and Kurt rolled his eyes because the answer really was just that obvious.

"Anything. I said 'anything'" Blaine smiled.

"Oh, alright!" Finn chuckled "Say something else… longer…"

Blaine took a deep breath, frowning slightly before smiling "O rapaz dos olhos azuis é absolutamente lindo, maravilhoso e hilariante da melhor maneira possível, e eu estou a tentar ganhar coragem para perguntar se ele quer sair comigo…"

Deeds giggled slightly and Blaine shot her a glare just as both Finn and Kurt asked "What did you say?"

Blaine shrunk his shoulders and smirked "You'll have to go look it up."

Kurt squinted slightly before turning to the little girl "What did he say?"

"Huh…" She looked between Kurt and her big brother.

"I won't help you if you don't tell me!" Kurt mused.

_He doesn't play fair! Well, then, you rip what you sew._ "Kurt, I have like twice the blackmail power on my sister than you do…" Blaine smirked, proud at himself for managing to stand his ground, and continued trying to look evilly nonchalant "Seriously, don't go down that road! I make all the decisions when it comes to what she's allowed or not to do, so you can bet anything you want, she's not going to open that pretty little mouth of hers anytime soon. Are you, Deeds?"

Deirdre looked uncertainly between Blaine and Kurt for a few more seconds before finally shaking her head and saying "No, I won't."

"That's my girl!"

"Ah! Not fair!" Kurt gasped.

"Go look it up…" Blaine shrugged, smiling a little smugly.

"Wipe that smirk off your face." Kurt shot him a glare "I'll get back at you. You know I will."

"Can't wait." Blaine sighed happily looking at the clear blue skys, laying back to rest on his elbows and Kurt's eyes had a momentary lapse in judgment, choosing to observe the effect the movement had elicited in his torso, the muscles straining, stretching and contracting… _gahh…_

Finn burst out laughing and everyone else turned to look at him "Sorry… just…" he rubbed the back of his neck "So… How great was that jamming session, right?"

"Hey, huh…" Blaine said, remembering he had an invitation to extend "So… the guys are having a party at their house tonight, and they asked me to ask you two if you wanted to come." He shot them a hopeful smile.

Deirdre sat up indignantly "Not fair! Why don't I get to go and they do?"

Blaine looked at his sister, tilting his head and eyeing her seriously "because they're eighteen, old enough to be partying and staying up all night. You're ten, and you're lucky your curfew isn't nine o'clock. I'm sure you can wait a few years."

She crossed her arms and pouted, attempting to make her brother feel guilty over his harshness but Blaine didn't even so much as give her a second glance, already more than used to holding his ground when it came to Deirdre, before turning back to Kurt and Finn. "So?"

"Well… We have to have dinner at home, but…"

"MOM!" Finn cut Kurt off as he called for his mother and as Carole and Burt looked at them he gestured for them to come over. The two of them got up with sighs and knowing frowns.

"What is it Finn?" she asked as they towered over the four of them.

"Their friends are throwing a party tonight at their house and they invited us over…" Kurt began softly – both Finn and Kurt had learned over nearly two years of brotherhood that it always worked better when Kurt talked them into things with his baby blue eyes and angelic face.

"It's only after dinner, and we'll stay over for the night so when we drive back there won't be any sleepy eyes or anything." Blaine added quickly.

"Yeah." Kurt agreed with a half smile, not sure if that last part had helped at all.

"Weren't those kids drinking beer?" Burt asked, frowning in what was starting to look dangerously like disapproval.

Kurt and Finn shot panicked looks at Blaine who cleared his throat before saying anything "Huh, right. Yes, sir, but, hum… They're actually very responsible drinkers, they don't really drink that much, only those few beers in the afternoon, and just a tad more in the night. They're actually pretty conservative when it comes to that."

"I'm sure they are…" Burt scoffed, and Kurt could definitely sense some sarcasm there "but aren't they underage?"

Blaine frowned for a second or two and then cracked a smile "Oh! No! Not here, at least! The age for drinking in Portugal is sixteen… So they're not doing anything even remotely illegal, since they're all around twenty years old."

All four of them – Carole, Burt, Finn and Kurt – gasped wide eyed "Sixteen?"

"Well… to be fair teenagers here don't drink nearly half as much as in the states. From what I know, at least." Blaine shrugged "But I digress. My point is, the party will be far from wild – it'll just be thirteen people hanging out at a very nice house."

Burt eyed Blaine through squinted eyes and Kurt was particularly impressed at how well the boy held his ground, maintaining his polite smile and not looking away.

"Dad, come on, you now us…" Kurt sighed, putting on his best innocent face "I promise not to drink, and so does Finn."

Finn nodded furiously beside Kurt, and he wanted to smack the boy because he was being so goddamn obvious.

Carole smiled at placed a soothing hand on Burt's arm "Come on, Burt, let the boys have their fun night…"

"Fine. But I want you back by two o'clock because I want to go down to some sort of zoo that girl who showed us the house was talking about."

"Of course, dad!" Kurt smiled immediately.

"We should go" Burt said, his voice still not letting any kind of pleasantry spill through "If you kids are going out tonight we should get dinner going."

Finn and Kurt were quick to comply. They were on their best behavior the whole way to the house, and helping out Carole in the kitchen. They were absolutely charming all the way through dinner, never once bickering or cracking any jokes at their parent's expense. In short they made sure Burt would have no reason to go back on his word.

They were in their bedroom getting ready when Kurt got a text from Blaine.

_I forgot to mention! It's a "masquerade ball"… so just dress funny or smtg… don't sweat about it, though. I'll pick you up at ten? –B_

From then on it was panic on Kurt's part (Finn just smirked and pulled his Power Rangers T-shirt and the shortest shorts he could find – which were, incidentally Kurt's. He put on some white knee high socks and put on his sneakers. Essentially looking like a downright idiot).

Kurt however, could not afford to do something like that – he'd be damned before dressing like a fool in front of Blaine. So he pulled that one item he actually had thought would've remained completely untouched in his suitcase, but had brought along anyway just in case.

"Dude! You're wearing a kilt?" Finn gasped with a shocked smile "That rocks! It's like gay Braveheart!"

Kurt sighed but smiled at his brother. He pulled on a simple white button down shirt and a waistcoat that matched the red and black kilt over the shirt. He put on his doc martens, as Finn sat gingerly waiting for him to be ready, but he was in for a long wait because Kurt still had his hair to do.

"Just wear it messy, like the other day! It looked pretty cool, dude." Finn sighed, eyeing his watch as it neared ten p.m..

Kurt peeked his head out of the bathroom and squinted at Finn. "You serious?"

"Yeah… it was a good change…" he smiled genuinely "Plus you have like five minutes before Blaine's here."

Kurt sighed, desperation crossing his features, before giving in and grabbing the small bottle of gel. He used the little time he had left shoving his belongings to his messenger bag, including a pair of black skinny jeans, because he was not walking home in the morning wearing a kilt.

"Ok, I'm ready!" he sighed. Finn erupted in cheers and hoots, causing Kurt to throw a pillow directly to his face, just as his phone started shooting Born This Way. Kurt picked it up and kept his tone incredibly casual under Finn's amused stare, silently motioning for him to start leaving towards the door, because it was Blaine saying he was waiting in his car just by their house.

Luckily for them Burt and Carole had already headed out to have some coffee, and didn't get the chance to notice how they were dressed. As he opened the front door he immediately spotted Blaine leaning against a small silver car. The minute he caught sight of Kurt's full outfit his eyebrows shot up and Kurt felt himself blushing. Blaine was more along the lines of Finn's outfit – he was wearing bright pink tights under terribly short shorts, and a bright pink T-shirt, while equally flashy sunglasses hang over his head. Even if he was dressed silly Kurt couldn't help notice how muscled and well toned his legs looked under those tights and the way the T-shirt clung to his torso. Of course he'd seen Blaine shirtless on the beach – but it still somehow made it incredibly hot how tight that shirt was. But the legs… the legs were brand new - they were always hidden behind terribly baggy swim trunks.

Kurt was well aware he was probably smiling in the stupidest way possible when he reached the car, Finn in tow.

"A… kilt?" Blaine gasped, somewhere between shock and amusement.

Kurt shrugged "You never know when you're gonna need one." He mumbled.

"Right… huh… so… Are you wearing it the traditional way?" Blaine pulled himself to his full height stepping away from the passenger's door. The minute he'd finished asking that question he brought his hands to his face and mumbled "Sorry… Forget I asked that… It wasn't supposed to be out loud."

Kurt felt his face scorch and had to close his eyes for a moment before clearing his throat "'s ok…" he mumbled "and, huh, no."

Finn stared at the two of them, confusion all over his frown, but in a matter of two seconds it hit him and he broke into a howl of laughter "Oh my god, dude, dirty mind much, Anderson?"

"Shut up." Both boys shot him glares, just as Blaine headed, as fast as he could, to the driver's side.

It went without saying that Kurt would take the front passenger's seat and Finn would go in the back. After a moment of awkwardness, during which you could only hear Finn's amused low chuckles, Blaine finally punched the stereo to life. The drive was a little over half an hour, because the house was, according to Blaine, almost literally in the middle of nowhere. He told them to expect a fairly big, with a big pool and really loud music.

Finally Blaine started to slow down (he was actually a bit of a too fast driver if Kurt was going to be honest) and came to a full stop at a gate, before honking loud and long. "Wait just a bit, if they don't come, I'll have to call them…"

But that wasn't necessary as the gate started to open and when Blaine went past it Kurt could see, a few yards away António still holing what was probably a remote control in their direction. The second Blaine had passed through it, the gate started to shut and António finally lowered his arm and threw them a quick wave before starting to walk towards the car which Blaine was parking just by three other cars, near the walls that encircled the, indeed, extensive estate.

As they stepped out of the car Kurt noticed the short boy wasn't wearing anything particularly funny – Just a really dirty white tank top and normal grey shorts with flip flops.

"Hey guys." He smiled bumping fists with Blaine and shaking hands with Finn and Kurt "Oh, a kilt! Cool! I got one too! It was actually a birthday gift from the bunch…" he smiled.

Kurt felt a wave of relief wash over him – truth be told, from what he'd gathered at the beach António was probably the most "macho" of the group, and if _he_ had a kilt and didn't disapprove at all of Kurt wearing one then he doubted anyone else in that house would care.

"Yeah, about that, what's with the completely normal get up? I was told to dress as weird as I could!" Blaine frowned at him as the four of them started to make their way towards the house.

"You know me man, this_ is_ my costume!" he pointed at the white tank top.

"Oh, ew, don't remind me of that, please, gross!" Blaine rolled his eyes and turned to the two brothers "António wears this tank top for the entirety of their two weeks here, never washing it or anything of the sorts…"

"But it's already dirty!" Kurt gasped, eyeing the dark stains and trying really hard to keep the disgust off his face. Kurt may be as blunt as they come but he was sure that insulting the host of a party he'd been invited to that same afternoon, while barely knowing said host, was not a good thing.

"We had barbecue for lunch today…" the boy shrugged "This is nothing compared to what it's going to be like in two weeks! It's my tradition!" he smiled proudly "We're still having dinner, if you're hungry I'm sure there's still food…"

Blaine and Kurt were quick to shake their heads but Finn's smile grew wide "That'd be awesome, dude!"

Kurt noticed the lack of loud music as they were pretty much at the front door and only now could he pick up soft tones. "I thought you said there'd be loud music." He mumbled at Blaine.

"They're having dinner." Blaine shrugged as if that explained everything, but after a pause he continued "They actually sit down and eat properly. It's a bit strange if you ask me, but they take meals seriously enough to put on just a bit of music and actually eat like civilized people at a table while talking to each other." He shrugged.

As they entered the large house Kurt was they were lead through a long corridor with a lot of door Kurt guessed to be numerous bedrooms, to the living room which was quite spacious, and decorated with beautiful leather couches in front of a Plasma TV, and next to them, the room was occupied by a long dining table, where the group of friends was currently seating and eating. The kitchen was barely separated from the living room, only a balcony marking it. The walls were occupied with huge windows, especially the one opposite the kitchen and dining table, which was almost entirely made of glass, and Kurt could see outside another long table, and a small couch with a vast collection of colorful cushions that looked far way too cozy to be that stylish. A few yards away was, indeed, a rather large pool, bright blue as it was illuminated in the night. Kurt was about to turn to António and compliment him on the decoration, but the boy was already sitting at the table, helping Finn to a plate full of pasta, and talking loudly in Portuguese to the others.

Everyone looked up from their meal to wave cheerfully at the three boys that had just arrived, interrupting their loud, excited chatter in Portuguese.

Blaine was chuckling and shaking his head and Kurt raised an eyebrow "What?"

"I know enough of Portuguese to know they were discussing politics… It's always the same with these guys…" Blaine's voice was low as he explained it.

"Politics? Seriously?" Kurt frowned, maintaining his voice equally discreet.

"They had elections recently, and Portugal's economy has been a bit of a mess since I can remember, so… it's actually pretty normal for them to be talking about it, and it doesn't hurt that they're actually a particularly political oriented group of friends, even if they diverge in opinions quite surprisingly. See Pipa, for example, is far left wing, while Paulo is far right wing… Then there's Diana, in the middle… Actually the girls are pretty much left wing while the boys are right wing, but… yeah, they're constantly discussing politics. It gets pretty funny, sometimes."

"Better than discussing soap operas…" Diana interrupted as she got up, her empty plate in hand. Blaine just smiled and winked, and Kurt blushed slightly at being caught talking about them like that. "Nice kilt, by the way!" she was wearing a pretty red dress with white poker dots, and all white accessories, including a pair of white high heeled shoes, making her look like a perfect fifty's housewife. Margarida was wearing spandex purple pants over a terribly lime green T-shirt she had tucked into the pants, and had pulled on a pair of red boxers over them. Pipa wore a horrible apron over a simple short dress, but paired it up with high black socks and terribly old slippers, and was, therefore, the opposite of a French maid, Mafalda and Sara were wearing what were probably clothes from the boys, since everything looked about two sizes too big. The boys were all on the silly side, much like Finn and Blaine, except for Gui who was attempting to pull off a golden sequin top with shorts that were probably terribly uncomfortably tight and Kurt suspected belonged to one of the girls.

Like Diana, many of them, upon the new arrivals, had started to pick up their empty plates, taking them to the kitchen, while the ones still eating (meaning the boys, of course) continued at the table. The girls returned from the kitchen and immediately grabbed Kurt and Blaine and pulled them towards the couch. Kurt tried to sit carefully but he had been practically thrown on it by an overly eager Pipa, as had Blaine.

_Oh shit!_

His kilt had ridden up just enough so that his bare leg had landed practically on top of Blaine's hand. He could feel the side of Blaine's hand pressed against his thigh for a long moment of tension and awkwardness, before, at the same time, both of them readjusted their positions, not daring to look to each other. _Oh, but his hand so warm… KURT! Behave!_

They talked with the girls while waiting for the boys to finish their dinner, but while Kurt was slightly grateful that they had been there to keep the two from actually acknowledging that little accident (Kurt was pretty certain Blaine had turned a dark shade of red for a few moments, there as clasped his hands together and kept them on his lap throughout the whole conversation), Kurt was starting to feel a little impatient. Either they were going to be playing something or then he would much rather have a rerun of last night and go somewhere to talk quietly to Blaine.

The first thing finally happened when, by some kind of miracle, the boys decided that they had eaten enough. Bringing all sorts of drinks with them (mostly beer) they went to the backyard and sat on the cool grass, between the house and the pool. Having now finally put the music loud enough, they spent some time discussing what they should do (some of them simply not caring enough to pay attention and instead choosing to dance – namely Diana and Sara, who, Kurt was informed, didn't drink alcohol so it was really indifferent for them which drinking game they chose – they could play it with water and still not get drunk anyway).

After a while they had sit down agreeing to I Never (after reassuring Kurt and Finn that they would never hold any piece of information against them, nor would they judge them, or tell anyone), even if Kurt had been reluctant to agree on. It had taken a pleading look from Blaine to get him to join.

Kurt wisely followed Sara and Diana's example, filling his glass with diet coke instead.

It started off soft, but quickly escalated to sexual related affairs and that was exactly what Kurt had feared. _Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._ _Not with Finn here!_

"I have never had sex!" Diana said. Up until then Kurt had been lucky enough that they had kept the sexual stuff more on the kinky side, which meant he didn't really have to drink. But now… he sighed, and, accompanying pretty much everyone in the circle, except Diana, he took a sip with a defeated sigh. Immediately Finn spat out his drink looking aghast at Kurt.

"What?"

Kurt blushed and chewed on his lip, shooting his brother a "please don't" face. But Finn wasn't not able to hold it.

"When? Who? I mean, I think I'd remember if my brother had had a boyfriend!"

Everyone was now changing amused glances. Kurt saw, from the corner of his eyes Blaine's expectant gaze – his expression hard to read.

"Finn, please don't…" Kurt pleaded, his face burning up.

"No, I have the right to know! You're my brother, and… and… and… if someone hurt you or something I want to bash their faces in! You must have had a boyfriend, because I know you just wouldn't sleep around, but then again I think I would've known if you had, because we're brothers… and since you're being all flirty and stuff with Blaine, that means you don't have a boyfriend now, which has to mean you used to have one, so you must've broken up, and maybe he hurt you and I have to kick someone's ass…" Finn rambled on and on and Kurt wanted to dig himself a deep, deep whole. _SHUT UP, FINN!_

"I can't tell you, Finn. It's my place."

"I dare you to tell me!"

"We're not even playing truth or dare you daft moron!"

"I'll tell your dad you have a subscription to a certain…"

"FINE!" Kurt finally gasped. Seriously they did not need to know. It was for fashion purposes only. But NO one needed to know. He sighed before giving in "You cannot tell anyone this. I mean it. Not even Rachel! Well, especially Rachel." Kurt eyed Finn sternly and his brother nodded immediately "Ok, so Sam and I were together for seven months…"

"What? No way! Sam's straight!"

"Huh… pretty sure he's not…" he scratched his neck subconsciously as everyone else exchanged amused looks "Listen, we started going out after he broke up with Santana… and we broke up after winter break, last year… You can't tell anyone this, he's not ready to come out. And I already feel terrible telling you this. Just don't open your mouth about it. Got it?"

"But… Sam… straight… what the hell! How come no one in Glee club knew about it?"

"Because everyone was so obsessed with their own little problems it'd be a miracle if they noticed a pink elephant entering the room…" Kurt, shrugged "Listen, we were together for seven months, don't worry he didn't hurt me, I didn't hurt him… you don't need to kick his ass, it's all good and dandy now. Point is, I've had sex, can we please move on?"

Everyone had been terribly amused by the whole thing and, other than Finn and Blaine, they had spent the whole time exchanging chuckles and amused smiles. So, Kurt was incredibly grateful when Mafalda spoke "Huh, right, I've never used handcuffs while having sex."

Kurt smiled gratefully towards the girl, as only Gui raised his glass to his mouth much to everyone's amusement.

The game continued, Finn having fallen to almost complete silence. After a while they decided to change it to Truth or Dare. Diana was made to give Margarida a lap lance, Paulo was made to strip tease, Blaine was told to dive into the pool fully dressed, Sara had to smoke an entire cigarette (she was one of the few in the group that did not smoke, and to top it off she was in med school, which made them feel it was particularly amusing to have her smoke), Finn had to admit he had a fetish for school girl uniforms (which Kurt made a mental note to point out to Rachel), and Kurt had had to dance the Single Ladies' dance once he'd let slip he knew the choreography by heart.

It was almost one a.m. when Diana announced that she had run out of ideas and much preferred to dance, which Sara immediately agreed to (apparently the two were practically unstoppable once you turned on the radio) and the group dispersed into all sorts of different activities. The girls were mostly dancing, the boys joining them every once in a while. António and Paulo sat at the stretchers, talking quietly over cigarettes and scotch, which was strangely amusing and Kurt could definitely see the two of them forty years from now discussing politics or business in exactly the same fashion (well, minus the ridiculous clothes, that is). Diana and Sara had taken to teach Finn some dance moves and Kurt was thoroughly enjoying the sight of it when he noticed Blaine sitting by the pool, his feet splashing the water in time with the music. With a small smile he decided to go and sit next to him.

"Hey…"

"Hi!" Blaine shot his head slightly startled.

"Not dancing?"

"I would, if I thought I could compete with the epicness that was your single ladies dance…" he teased.

Kurt shoved him lightly and after pulling of his boots and his socks dipped his feet into the water as well "This is pretty nice…"

"Mmm" Blaine smiled and closed his eyes in appreciation as he took a sip of his still pretty full cup. Kurt was kind of happy to notice that – he'd been hoping to have another long conversation with Blaine, and as hilarious as it probably would be to witness this collected guy in a drunken state, he was pretty sure that would've meant no conversation.

"Apart from the whole Sam fiasco…" Kurt sighed "Figures I'd have to tell him some time. He _is _my brother. I mean, it was a feat that we managed to be together for seven months and not one soul suspected it…"

"Yeah, I really don't see how I would've been able to do that. I mean, I respect that people may not be ready to come out… but, I wouldn't want to be in a relationship where I have to worry about that kind of stuff."

"Well that's the thing… It was too much pressure on us. It's the reason it didn't work out." Kurt smiled sadly, remembering when he'd finally told Sam he couldn't handle it anymore and either they came public or they were over. He regretted the ultimatum, it had been harsh and cruel towards Sam, but they had spent the entire Winter break fighting and bickering about nearly everything – it was clear that keeping it a secret was straining their relationship too much to make it last. "At first it's actually pretty exciting, but after a while it just gets tiring… You just want to be able to hold hands in the corridor, sing him a love song in glee club, give him littlee kisses by the lockers – like everyone else." Blaine nodded understandingly, but didn't speak, so Kurt continued his little ramble "It was just stressing… And so cliché! I mean I felt like I was in a soap opera all the time! Like I had lines to remember and a part to play… God, it was so frustrating!"

"Well, at least no one did find out about it – it would probably be much worse if you'd've been caught making out or something…" Blaine offered with a shrug.

"Oh, we kept dreading that moment, it was like an impending doom." Kurt smiled "It was the only thing missing from turning our relationship into the perfect rendition of the 'the book of clichéd gay relationships'" he joked. They had broken up a long time ago – sure, he still felt a little sting at the memory of it, but he was well past it now and was more than comfortable talking about it. Actually, this was the first time he was actually talking about it with someone else other than Sam, who he'd still remained good friends with, after that initial awkward post-breakup phase.

"Kurt…" Blaine frowned and turned to look at him with a piercing gaze that Kurt knew had to bring some kind of hard question with it and now regretted that Blaine was so clearly still completely sober "Can I ask you something?"

He bit his lip before faking an easy smile and shrugging "sure."

"Why do you hate clichés so much? I mean, every time you mention it… you're criticizing something…"

"I…" Kurt started but found himself searching for words instead. It was a while before he finally managed to find where to start. He spoke as he stared at their feet moving slowly in the water. "I didn't use to be like this… but… I was growing up, and I just… I started noticing that when people look at me, all they see is… the gay kid." He said, with half a shrug and sad smile "the flamboyant fashionista. All my life that's all I've been to people. They never bothered to see past those _clichés_ I do fit, that stereotype… I know I fit the stereotype, I'm not clueless… But I'm more than that, and I know it, and I'm proud to be different… but it still hurts when people just assume that they know you just like that." He paused and played a little bit with his feet on the water as he reorganized his thoughts. "Is it unrealistic for me to expect people to look past the obvious? I know I can be… stereotypical, hell! My life's been a roll of gay clichés, and for the whole time I was in high school I had the bruises to prove it… but I'm more than that… and I just… I'm just tired, you know? Of trying to prove them wrong, to show them there's more to me than my sexuality…" he turned to look Blaine in the eyes as he let a small bitter smile tug at his lips "But that really doesn't matter, because, I have to… tired or not, I'm gonna prove them all wrong."

"Kurt…" Blaine half gasped "I'm so sorry… For what is worth, I don't think you're a cliché. I think you're _you_."

"Thanks…"

"When I look at you… sure, I see a gay guy who cares a little bit too much about fashion to be healthy and has an abnormally vast amount of show tunes on his Ipod…" Blaine said with a chuckle, gaining him a light shove from Kurt "but there's other things. You're… so… hard to pin down. There's this wall you built around yourself, a wall of strength, I guess, coated to perfection with sass and wittiness… And I think you use it to hide the fact that you're just like the rest of us, scared and clueless, and that you're lonely… maybe because no one really gets you."

Kurt's eyes flew to meet Blaine's needing desperately to show him that he'd gotten him, he understood it, he knew him. Even if he couldn't find the words to say it. Blaine's eyes were just as warm in the darkness of the night as he smiled to Kurt.

After a long silence Blaine turned back to stare ahead "People generally aren't very good at dealing with strength and difference, so they're threatened by you, because that's all they see – your strength and your difference. But in the end it's their loss, not wanting to find out more. They're just afraid of it, of finding out about anything that challenges them to look outside that pretty little box they built for themselves… They're ignorant… That's all." He sighed before turning to lock his eyes back to Kurt's "It's just ignorance, Kurt."

"Blaine… can I ask _you _something?" Kurt's voice was low and almost a whisper, after a few moments of just listening to their feet moving across the water.

"Of course."

"When we talk, we always end up talking about me. I've told you incredibly personal things… and I feel like you know me and you certainly do get me, which is kind of amazing, but… I don't know anything about you, other than the fact that you have a little sister and you go to NYU."

Blaine ducked his head with a small laugh "I have…" he started, pausing and turning to look at the stars, squinting slightly as he searched for words "what I like to call the middle child syndrome." He admitted after a while. Kurt merely raised an eyebrow urging him to elaborate "I have an older brother, Tom. He's just graduated from med school, actually. Anyway, Tom was the first born, so in a way when I was born nothing was really that new... I mean, don't take this the wrong way, my parents took good care of me and all, it's not some tragic childhood story or anything… but, huh… well, he was the perfect son, and I kind of always lived in his shadow, and he really was pretty flawless – like, perfect academics, popular jock, pretty girlfriends, so anything I did, no matter how good, it was never going to be news… so the spotlight was never really on me… Well, not at home anyway – like I said, I was in the theater club, and I did get to express myself and all that jazz there… but back home I was just… Blaine…" he shrugged and said his name as he would've said anything else, like it didn't matter, and Kurt almost flinched at that because how could that name ever not mean anything? "Which didn't really bother me much… I guess, because I was always a little bit shy… but it certainly helped with making me a kind of a… private person. And then there's Deeds…

"Let's just say… when Deeds was born I was 9, so I was a big boy, my mom kept saying… In a matter of a couple of years I was taking care of her, I guess, because my parents were starting to work more and more hours, getting promotions right and left, and we really started doing really well, but I had to pick up after them, you know, go get Deeds from school and make sure she did her homework… I never resented it, I loved it, and still do, taking care of her, but looking back I know that shouldn't have been my job at all. I was and still am, for all intents and purposes, her father… which, as you may very well be thinking, kind of screwed up…

"And then when they got divorced I really just… knew I had to man up and make sure Deeds had a happy childhood, no matter what. I remember the day they told me, and they asked _me _to tell her. At the time I didn't really realize how screwed up that was… but it sort of made sense, because I was the one that actually spent the most amount of time with her, and she was so young and fragile at the time. So I took her to the zoo and sat her down and I smiled my way through an awkward explanation of how sometimes people drift away, but that nothing really had to change that much. And the odd thing was… she was actually ok with it. She just turned to me… seven years old, and she just asks 'you'll still be my big brother, right?' and I… just… what do you when your sister's biggest concern about your parents' divorce is if _you_'re still going to be there?

"So, in a way, I just… I got used to taking care of people, and I'm… not comfortable showing weakness, because of that. We have that in common…" he offered with a chuckle "for different reasons, but we do. I could never show any weakness around Deeds, and I became so much more comfortable with that than with actually talking about any of _my_ feelings at all… I'm just never comfortable talking about my issues, you know? I'm great at listening and talking about and to other people… you, Deeds, whoever… but me, not so much. I got so used to putting up this big brave, happy mask for Deeds that I forgot to take it off, and now it's just here and… I'm not sure it's a mask anymore... It's just part of who I am…" he finished with a long sigh and wide eyes "Wow! That was something!"

"Blaine…" Kurt turned to him with a small frown "I'm not sure that's a middle child syndrome. I think that's a shitty parents syndrome."

"You might be right." Blaine muttered for the first time avoiding Kurt's gaze "I'm sorry I dumped all this on you… I didn't mean to…"

"Blaine, I asked you to. And I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to tell me about it, and honestly, I think you're an amazing brother… everyone should be so lucky to have you as a big brother."

"Thank you, Kurt."

"You should still try to… open up more often, though."

"Well you know what they say about psychology students?" Blaine raised an amused eyebrow but as Kurt remained silent, a questioning look edging him to continue he completed "That we just really wanna find what the fuck is wrong with ourselves."

Kurt chuckled "Probably true."

"Definitely true." Blaine laughed "I know I do… I mean, I love it, and I love the prospect of working to help other people and everything, but in a way, it's my escape… I don't like going to people about my problems, depending on others, or anything, it's not me… I like my emotional independence. So I have to learn how to deal with my problems on my own."

"Well,… if you ever have a hard time finding an answer in those big books of yours you have my number." Kurt smiled.

"Same goes to you… I have a mask to take off and you have wall to knock down."

"Oi! Slow down, cowboy, no one said anything about knocking down any walls!" Kurt nudged him with his shoulders "I may be ok telling_ you _all of this stuff, and trust me, I don't know why I am, but I am, but I'm certainly not about to go to… whoever… and just spill my guts… That's what music is for me… That's why I love music so much – it's the only way I can really expose myself and not feel weak in the least."

"I get you…" Blaine smiled before letting himself drop onto his back laying down and staring up at the stars "I really do…"

"Yeah, you do."

**xXxXx**

**Sorry for the lack of drunkenness here. Maybe next chapter? Who knows…? ;P**

**Anyone wants to guess what Blaine said in Portuguese? (Google translator is cheating!)  
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	7. PG Filter

**For all of those who attempted bravely at translating withOUT Google translator here's what Blaine said: The boy with blue eyes is absolutely beautiful, wonderful and hilarious in the best way possible and I'm trying to get the courage to ask him if he wants to go out with me.**

**xXxXx**

Blaine laid on his back, smiling as he stared at the stars high and bright above them. His heart beating furiously, but not out of nervousness or anything like that. He was just happy. He got Kurt and Kurt got him. They hadn't known each other for long, but hey, where's the hurry? They had time, lots of it. And there was already this amazing promise of a bright future ahead, be it of friendship or more. Blaine would be thrilled with either option, as of right now. Of course he'd much rather be allowed to kiss those perfect lips whenever and however he wanted, but then again, just being able to sit down like this and talk about themselves, their lives, the world… sharing ideas, thoughts and feelings – that was enough to make Blaine's heat warm. The fact that he'd found someone he felt comfortable and goo to do that with.

He chanced a glance at Kurt, who had leaned back on his elbows and was searching the skies with his eyes and a tiny frown "I can never tell which start is which… constellations and stuff. Never could."

"Me neither…" Blaine shrugged "I just think they're beautiful, there's really no need to put a name on them, is there?"

Kurt made a small noise of agreement as they fell into easy silence.

"HEY!" A loud female voice startled them from their reverie. Diana was standing high above them, hands on her hips "No sleeping allowed!"

"We're not sleeping…" Blaine frowned "We're just talking…" and he shot her a look, trying to say 'And having a damn good time while doing so!'

"I don't care. This is a party." She sniffed "Up you get and on to the dance floor!" she held out her hands, offering them help to get up. Blaine rolled his eyes and took her hand, just as Kurt did. As they pulled themselves up, simultaneously, their shoulders bumped and Blaine couldn't help the rush of electricity that flowed through him (ok, so maybe he wouldn't be completely happy with just being friends…).

"I'm not nearly drunk enough for the dance floor." Blaine mumbled as Margarida moved near them with a smile and a skip in her step.

"That, my dear sir, is something we can easily fix."

"No way! I need to drive them back first time tomorrow, and I can't be hung over."

"Just a few drinks, come on!" Margarida tugged his arm pulling him away.

Twenty minutes later of drinking and dancing saw Blaine with his third glass full of punch and giggling way too much, while flopping down onto the couch and resuming to watch them dance (he particularly liked when Kurt would twirl or do something that made his kilt ride up… that was awesome). Kurt sat carefully next to him and Blaine was just as thrilled as he was disappointed.

"I'm a bit tipsy." Blaine admitted with a soft giggle.

"I can tell." Kurt smiled "Don't worry though, I can drive us back if you're hung over tomorrow. I'm a very good driver, I promise."

"How do you know that? Everyone thinks they're a good driver…"

"I work in my dad's garage, I fix cars all the time, I grew up around them, and my dad thought me how to drive when I was seven… I can manage." Kurt chuckled.

Blaine stared at him for a full minute, squinting his eyes before finally muttering "Bullshit."

Kurt looked somewhere between annoyed and amused when he shook his head "I'm not lying." Blaine's eyes widened and he suddenly got up and started walking away, BEFORE Kurt grabbed his wrist "Hey, where are you going? What's wrong?"

"Drunk. No filter." Blaine gestured between his forehead and his mouth "dangerous." He finished with quite a frown before slowly prying Kurt's fingers from his wrist and walking away leaving a slightly amused, though frowning Kurt behind. He found and empty stretcher where he let himself ungracefully settle and downed the rest of his drink, before covering his eyes with his forearm muttering to himself "stay away from him."

"Star away from who?" Was voice asked, amusement dripping.

Blaine removed his arm and squinted through the darkness of the night to make out the huge mass that was Finn.

"Finn!" Blaine beamed.

"I was told to bring you this!" The tall boy smiled, sitting in the stretcher next to Blaine's, and extending another glass full towards Blaine.

He glared at the cup but took it anyways. "They like getting me drunk. Apparently I'm funny when I'm drunk." His voice was just slightly slurred. Other than that you could only tell he was drunk because his facial expressions had become exaggerated, and, indeed, almost every thought that crossed his mind found itself tumbling out of his mouth.

Finn chuckled slightly, taking his beer to his lips.

"Stay away from who?" Finn repeated.

"Whom."

"Hum?"

"You say, stay away from whom, not who…" Blaine shrugged.

"Oh, alright, stay away from whom?"

"Your brother…"

"Oh!" Finn laughed "Ok, why?"

"Because he has really pretty eyes, and pretty hair, and a pretty nose, and reeeeally pretty lips… and legs, and a-"

"Ok, I get it, he's pretty!" Finn nearly shouted.

"And now you see why I need to stay clear from him… I can't shut up… and I'll just… embarrass myself."

"Indeed." Finn smiled "Oh, wow, I never thought I'd ever tell someone they're embarrassing themselves, usually it's the other way around." Finn was now beaming to himself "thanks, dude!"

"I get why Kurt hates you…" Blaine mumbled.

"He hates me?"

"Yeah – well, no. He loves you, but he hates you. But he loves you."

"Cool. Awesome."

"It's so cool that you're like… brothers. I mean… brothers!" Blaine sighed "You're like, really cute brothers... always fighting and stuff."

"Your sister's pretty cool too, man. And you're a good big brother…"

"Yeahh… Not really no… I'm using her to get closer to Kurt through you…" he shrugged and sighed before chuckling slightly "I have the hots for your brother and my sister has the hots for you! How cool is that?"

"Wow, you really have no filter, do you?"

"No." Blaine said simply, shrugging his shoulders "None at all."

"Ok… I'll take this as a golden opportunity, then." Finn sighed, looking rather proud of himself "What are your intentions with Kurt? Because if you're just like… into him because you think he's cute or something then…"

"NO!" Blaine nearly shouted "It's not just that. I mean, it's _a lot_ that. I mean… his jeans are always so nice. Is it wrong that he looks so good in jeans that I always want him to be naked?"

"YES!"

"Oh… ok." Blaine ducked his head in embarrassment before sighing "but it's not just that. I really like him… like… he's… so interesting…. And captivating. And I just want to talk to him all the time. Except when I want to kiss him. Then I don't want to talk to him, because you can't really talk when you're kissing. I mean, you can, but it's not very easy." He frowned slightly, imagining having a whole conversation while kissing before shaking his head and continuing "I want to kiss him lots of times, though, and last night… and tonight… I definitely wanted to kiss him lots of times, and then I remembered his jeans… and he was dancing the single ladies in his kilt and I wanted to…"

"Blaine. Shut up before I make sure you don't see him again."

"Oh. Inappropriate?"

"Yes, Really inappropriate."

"Sorry… Drunk." He smiled apologetically and downed his whole drink just for good measure.

"I can tell." Finn half smiled half chuckled.

"Your brother's hot though. Maybe I'll go tell him."

"You probably shouldn't." Finn patted his shoulders.

"But he works on cars! Can you imagine what he looks like, all greased up, and his hair a mess, and oil stains all over…"

"Blaine, just…" Finn sighed "I'll let it slide, because you're drunk, but your personifying-"

"Objectifying."

"That. You're objectifying my brother. But I know that's mostly the alcohol talking."

"It is. I'm like super dapper. I swear. I don't say these things. Ever. I just think them. I think them a lot though. About him."

"Yes, that's the thing." Finn sighed "I'm gonna go now, before you say anything even worse and I'll really have to keep Kurt away from you. And I really don't wanna do that, dude, because he kind of likes you, I think, and you're really cool when you're not drunk and talking about my brother like he's your favorite type of candy, so I really want you two to have a shot. But if you keep saying those things I _wil_l have to act like his brother, otherwise I'd just feel guilty, and I wouldn't be able to look Burt in the eyes, anyway. So… I'm just gonna… leave you to your thoughts… or not." Finn seemed slightly panicky before sighing and rolling his eyes "Just… bye!" he mumbled getting up.

"OH WOW!" Blaine gasped "You're so tall!" Blaine got up to stand next to Finn "Like… so tall!"

Finn bit back his laughter, trying to keep in character for his 'big protective brother' part "Ok…!" he chuckled before walking away and leaving Blaine to stare after him. The part of him that was still sober, which, granted, wasn't that big a part, told him to slap himself. He did.

With a sigh he looked at the people dancing a few yards away and he wanted to kill Margarida for doing this to him. He knew he had to stop drinking NOW if he wanted to avoid a hangover. The problem was going to be saying no whenever they offered him a new drink.

xXxXx

When Blaine woke up, his face buried in one particularly fluffy pillow from the couch he squinted at the bright sunlight hitting him square in the face. He groaned and pulled himself up on his elbows looking groggily around, only a slight pounding in his head (_Good boy, Blaine, good boy…_). There were a few other people sleeping on the couch, including Finn and Kurt. Finn was snoring particularly loudly. He stretched himself before getting up and walking to the kitchen in a way that pretty much resembled some kind of zombie. He grabbed a box of cereal and returned to the living room shoving handfuls into his mouth. He looked around the room and marveled at how disgusting it looked. "Well, at least I won't be here for the aftermath…" he chuckled silently as he stretched his neck which was slightly sore from sleeping on the couch. He caught a glance of his cell phone in the middle of a deck of cards. _Oh, there you are!_

He picked it up and checked for any missed calls or texts and nearly choked on his cereals when he noticed the time. "SHIT" he hissed, it was nearly one in the afternoon. Whatever happened to Kurt not being able to wake up after seven?

They had an hour to wake up and look all fresh and clean before Kurt and Finn _had_ to be back. He immediately threw a handful of cereal at Finn's face, effectively making the boy stir awake.

"Get up and get ready to leave!" He mumbled quickly before going to shake Kurt up.

"Why aren't you throwing cereal at_ his_ face?" Finn mumbled behind him.

Blaine didn't bother to answer as Kurt was waking up, moaning something into his pillow. Finally he lifted his head and looked at Blaine. He just looked at him for a while, his eyes barely halfway opened, before he suddenly jerked his head away, sitting up quickly and starting to frantically run his hands over his hair.

"You need to get ready ASAP, or your dad will kill you." Blaine smiled.

"What time is it?"

"Ten past one."

"What?" Kurt groaned "How did I sleep so late! Shit! Where are my boots?"

Blaine looked around the room but then he remembered that Kurt had taken them off outside, before sitting by the pool (_see? You can remember last night! That's an improve- OH HOLY HELL YOU'RE AN IDIOT, BLAINE ADERSON!_). "Outside." He mumbled, before going to look for his own Simpsons' sneakers. He found one on the TV and another hanging from the staircase railing. As he pulled them on and making a quick run towards the bathroom to wash his face and attempt at some kind of teeth brushing, he was thinking furiously how he was going to tell Finn that he couldn't really take last night seriously…. _Oh I'll just kill myself and spare him the trouble maybe… if anyone ever talked to me that way about Deeds…_ he went outside to look for any other item he might be forgetting. Instead he found Kurt hastily pulling on a pair of black jeans, which make him freeze for an embarrassing long time. Good thing Kurt was with his back to him. Or not.

He shook his head, snapping out of it and looked around, fighting the urge to slap himself, instead finding his wallet on one of the small garden tables. He picked it up and squeezed it into his back pocket (how these shorts still fit Blaine was still a mystery). "You ready?" he asked a little breathless, as Kurt was shoving his kilt into his bag.

Kurt jumped at Blaine's voice, not having noticed he'd been there, and gasped "Nearly." He dropped himself on the floor picking up his boots.

"Hurry…" Blaine just gave him the smallest smile before heading back inside where Finn was eating a slice of bread and looking positively pathetic in his outfit.

"Lose the socks…" Blaine muttered "Or your parents will think this was some weird party."

"Oh, because your pink tights won't be a dead give away?" Finn dead panned, but sat down, undoing his shoelaces nonetheless.

"I'm just dropping you off, no way I'm stepping out of the car looking like this!"

"Good!" Kurt's voice said from behind them "That is one outfit that needs to stay behind closed doors!"

Blaine faked outrage, but quickly dropped it with a chuckle "Ready?"

"Yeah" the two brothers said in unison. "Ok, let's go."

It was only once he was in the car, already driving out of the estate that he managed to relax with a long sigh, leaning his head against the head rest. He cracked the window slightly open to let some fresh air in, and turned on the radio.

"Had fun?" he asked after he could hear Finn snoring in the back seat.

Kurt smiled and nodded, remembering all of the previous night, from the long talk with Blaine (which had been nothing short of amazing) to dancing until he was dripping with sweat with the girls (he was not particularly proud of that last part, but in the heat of the moment he could hardly bring himself to care), laughing his head off when almost all the boys decided to prance around in their underwear dropping them at the most random times and positively scarring the girls for life, and especially when they tricked Finn into having a small spoon full of wasabi, which had resulted in his stepbrother jumping in the pool, fully clothed, screaming his head off. The only part that wasn't so great about it was that, halfway through all of that Blaine had kept a distance from Kurt. Kurt knew he hadn't offended Blaine and he knew it wasn't anything particularly bad because Blaine would always send him an apologetic look and mouthed 'SORRY' each time Kurt attempted at getting closer to him and he scurried off. More than anything, Kurt was just intrigued.

"I did, actually! But I'm still trying to figure out why you decided you couldn't be near me at some point of the night, and why, after just half an hour or less Finn seemed to share that opinion."

"Huh… Let's just say… I'm not the best type of drunk." Blaine was cringing slightly as he spoke, keeping his eyes resolutely on the road.

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you like violent or…"

"NO! no! Nothing like that… I'm a great type of drunk for everyone else, just not for my own good. I'm a blabber… I blab. That's what I do. I say everything and anything that I'm thinking, and it gets dangerous. I have absolutely no filter. I just… Too many opportunities for horrible, deadly embarrassment there. I couldn't. I was drunk enough to blab, but not to not know I was..."

"Oh…" Kurt shrugged with a soft chuckled "That doesn't explain Finn, though…"

"I had the good judgment to stay away from you, but not to stay away from him. I may or may not have told him things that should have really been kept inside my head."

"And can I know what those things were?"

"Absolutely not."

Kurt laughed and shook his head "You know I'll get it out of him, don't you?"

Blaine blushed slightly "Well, at least I get to have these last few minutes of dignity to myself, then…"

"Alright… I'll give you those, because I'm sweet like that." Kurt teased and Blaine's cheeks reddened even more as he kept staring straight at the road. The sight was almost pitiful, which is why Kurt did take pity on him and with a soft sigh changed the subject "Do you happen to know what zoo I'm going to today?"

Blaine relaxed slightly before nodding "Huh, yeah, as a matter of fact. It's probably Badoka Park… It's like a safari thing… safari type animals, mostly. Like, giraffes and what was that animal from Madagascar?"

"Lemur?"

"Yeah, that's it… Well, that sort of thing… It's more of a kid's place, but…"

"Ok…" Kurt sighed, looking slightly dejected at the prospect.

There was silence for a while and while Kurt pondered ways to get out of this field trip without getting his dad mad at him or anything, Blaine was frowning and chewing on his lip.

After a while, with a deep sigh and a soft blush the curly haired boy chanced a sideways glance at Kurt "Huh, do you think your dad would let you come some place tomorrow?" Blaine asked nervously.

"I… don't know. I'd have to ask. Why?"

"There's just this place I'd like to show you…" he shrugged, trying to seem as nonchalant as he could. He knew he was failing, but he just had to do it anyways.

"Ok… I'll ask… what time?" Kurt smiled, and Blaine noticed out of the corner of his eye how he was twirling his fingers nervously, and had to fight the urge to smile broadly. Somehow knowing Kurt was just as nervous as he was about this… thing… they had going, was oddly reassuring.

"Huh… afternoon… I'd pick you up at four… maybe?"

"Pick you up for what?" Finn's voice startled them from the backseat.

"None of your business, frankenteen. Go back to sleep."

Blaine roared with laughter "Frankenteen?"

"It was his nickname… I'd love to take credit for it but it was actually this really weird choreographer who was probably the meanest person I've ever met. And then Santana just kept using it, so it stuck. She's like the fiercest bitch you'll ever meet, so she's kind of cool.." Kurt sighed.

"She's not!" Finn yawned "She's a bitch, period."

"Uh, I sense some kind of story there."

"No story, she just is." Finn mumbled. But Blaine caught Kurt shaking his head ever so slightly with an amused smirk. Blaine was never one to pry, so he decided not to push the subject, especially because he needed to get back on Finn's good side.

Ok, so maybe he really didn't have to try very hard. Finn had made such a horrible fool of himself the previous night: you know when you talk to someone and they're drunk and saying things they shouldn't be saying because of that, so you think, _'well, I'm not going to be like this, so no more drinks_'? Finn didn't have that train of though. So instead of taking Blaine as a bad example and saving himself from disgrace, he got pretty plastered himself, and not only showed his complete lack of dancing skills, and made a pretty good impression of a flailing giant baboon when he believe wasabi was just something made out of apple and sugar, but he also let everybody in that house witness his tear filled confession of an undying love for one Ms. Rachel Berry. Blaine had watched as Kurt filmed that last part with an evil smirk on his face.

So, come to think of it, Blaine didn't really have that much to worry about, because one word from Finn and all he had to was "Remember when you…?"

He caught sight of Finn through the rearview mirror. He looked like a zombie. It made Blaine feel for him, which in its turn, made Blaien feel slightly guilty about what he'd been thinking. He wasn't being fair. Finn was just looking out for Kurt, and Blaine was happy for Kurt that he had someone to do that for him. He knew he would always be like that with Deeds, so why should he blame Finn for doing the same with Kurt – it just showed that he cared.

"Hey Finn?"

"Yeah…?"

"How's the hang over?"

"Bad…" he mumbled "Could be worse though."

"Sorry about that."

"'s ok…" he shrugged "Are we there yet?"

"Almost"

True to his word Blaine did not get out of the car, pulling up just enough time so they could hop off and wave goodbye, then he made a U turn and drove to his own house, finding (_Thank God!_) a parking spot just by his front door. He nearly ran inside the house. As he closed the door behind him there was a low whistle and he spun to face his grandma eyeing him with a confused but amused stare.

"Party… Costumes…" he mumbled waving his hand dismissively "Need help for lunch?"

"Oh, we've had lunch already, yours is in the fridge."

"Can I take it up to my room… I kind of need a nap."

"Yes, you can. But I don't think you'll sleep much once your sister finds out you're home."

He sighed and nodded before going for the fridge and taking out a bowl of tuna and tomato salad. He ate quietly in his bedroom, having first taken off his clothes, exchanging them for just a pair of boxers. He put his cell on his nightstand, careful to make sure it wasn't in silent mode, before dropping himself on top of his bed and closing his eyes. Indeed, it hadn't been five minutes before a heavy weight fell on top of his stomach, knocking him out of his breath. He groaned as he pulled Deeds off him. He knew better than try to ignore her questions so he answered patiently as she drilled him about last night. He was surprised she was just as interested in his and Kurt's progress as she was in Finn. And then he pretended to listen as she went on to ramble about the book she was reading and how she felt she could really relate to the character because of Finn and how much they were made for each other.

Any other time he would really have listened to her, and been thoroughly amused by all the silliness she was going on about, but right then there were two things that he was more worried about. One, was the fact that he was really tired and that maybe he should really go take a shower. And two, was the fact that he still needed to pretty much think about last night, and the fact that he'd opened up to Kurt like he'd never done to anyone else. He'd met Kurt two days ago, and he was exposing himself and his vulnerabilities just like that. And what confused him more about it was that he really didn't feel uncomfortable at all about that fact.

Blaine had always been relatively sane and levelheaded when it came to relationships – sure he had his 'hopelessly romantic' phase in high school, but that had taught him precious lessons quite quickly. So he knew better than to believe in love at first sight or anything of those sorts. So, was he insane to feel like he connected with Kurt like he'd never connected with anyone in his life, even if they'd known each other for two days?

Well, if it was insane he would have to fulfill the stereotype he'd made fun of the night before: crack open the books and diagnose himself. Because, really, Blaine had never felt like he got someone this perfectly, and he just knew that Kurt got him too – the way Kurt noticed and called him out on the fact that Blaine would always turn the conversation around on the other person. Nobody had ever noticed that. And, most importantly, nobody had ever bothered to ask about it.

He sighed, and Deeds stopped talking, looking at him through squinted eyes "You weren't listening."

Blaine thought of lying but he really had no idea what she'd been saying so it was probably better to tell the truth – it would most definitely get her off his back and make her cheerful and get her to ramble again so he could resume to his thinking once more. "I'm sorry. I was thinking about Kurt. I think I really like him, but it's confusing to me, because I don't really know him for that long…"

"So?"

"So, when you're older, like me, liking someone isn't as simple. It takes actually getting to know the person…"

"But isn't that what you're doing. I mean, you two are talking all the time. Yesterday at the beach you spent hours just talking, and then singing, and it was really fun. And I'll bet last night you also talked…"

Blaine chuckled at how simple Deeds always thought things were, and he envied her a little bit for that "Yeah, you're right."

"I mean, I know I love Finn and we've known each other for as long as you've known Kurt."

"I rationalize everything, Deeds, you know me, the perpetual overthinker…" Blaine sighed.

"Yeah." She agreed, her voice thoughtful, as she pretended to understand what Blaine had just said. He laughed and rolled his eyes. After a while she smiled "I like Kurt. I wouldn't mind you getting together with him. Really."

"Oh wow! Thanks for the approval, mom." He mocked.

She giggled and smacked him on the arm, just as Blaine's cell rang with an incoming text.

His heart beat a little faster as he picked it up. But was disappointed to find it was a text from Diana.

_No beach 2day? –D_

_No... tired, staying home with Deeds. Have fun guys. – B_

_Tomorrow? – D_

_Huh… that's a no, too… Got plans. Sorry – B_

_Kurt? – D_

_Maybe – B_

_He's cute. Go for it. – D_

_Shut it. I'll go for it if I wanna go for it. – B_

_You know you want to. – D_

_True, I kind of do. But shut it anyway. see you on Tuesday. – B_

_See you. – D_

He was about to put his cell back on the nightstand when he received another text. He was ready to tell Diana to shut up again when he saw with a flip of his stomach this one was from Kurt.

_I'm bored, this is boring. Zoo's were much more exciting when I was a kid. My dad says I can go tomorrow, btw. – K_

_Lol. Yeah, thought you would be. Cool! So be ready by four, beachwear. – B_

_No problem. How's your day been? – K_

Blaine smiled. Kurt actually wanted to talk.

_Ah, I'm more interesting than giraffes and zebras! It's been better since the moment I got off those god awful tights and shorts! Yay for being comfortable in my boxers! I wanted to go to sleep, but Deeds decided she wanted to talk, and now she's hovering trying to read every text, so keep it PG ;P – B_

_Oh, my! How will I ever manage that with the thoughts I've been having? – K_

Blaine gasped, staring at the screen. Was he just saying that for fun or was it an actual (really forward) innuendo? Shit. What do you say to that?

"What's wrong? Come on, answer him!" Deeds urged him.

He barely even registered his sister as he debated over keeping it safe or flirting just as bad. Oh, what the heck – might as well.

_Well, I've been resourcing to cold showers. Maybe grab a bottle of water, or something – B_

"What?" Deeds frowned, and Blaine didn't even bother to look at her.

_No water around here, this place is like a desert, and you just made me painfully aware of that fact. – K_

_Ups, sorry. I'll make up for it tomorrow. – B_

_You'd better, even if I don't see how YOU will help me cool off. – K_

Blaine felt his cheeks burn again and couldn't help not smiling, so he it was impossible to stop himself from sending the next text he did, relaxing even more so since Deeds had given up on trying to read the texts because she was not getting any of the actual meanings.

_So, about tomorrow, do you think that we could maybe, possibly kind of call it a date? – B_

_I'd be thrilled to maybe, possibly kind of call it a date (and you forgot sort of.)… - K_

Blaine chuckled as he fist bumped the air and hissed "yesss!" and Deeds, having been distracted, yelped and fell off the bed.

_You can't see me now, but I'm fist bumping the air and scaring the shit out of my sister, ahaha, she fell off my bed! Double win! – B_

_So I can't see you right now… but apparently you're in your boxers, and as of now alone on your bed, happy because we're going on a date... Which part of that was supposed to help me cool me off? XP – K_

_And what makes you think I want you to cool off? – B_

_Aaaand Finn just read that, so I'm gonna go back to the PG stuff. How's your grandma? – K_

Blaine roared with laughter rolling onto his back as he held his cell high above his face, already typing his reply.

_Oh, talk about a cold shower! –B_

_Eheh, sorry. We just got in the car, to drive back, and he's being his usual annoying self. – K_

_Tell him I say Hi. – B_

_He says hi back – K_

_Tell him I say he should mind his own business. –B_

_Lol, he says I'm his little brother, so I'm his business. Sometimes I wonder if his brain actually works. – K_

_I could actually side with you on that, but I gotta say, I'll probably be like that when the time comes for Deeds to start dating… - B_

_Except I'm not his little sister or brother. I'm older than him, and he has absolutely no saying in who I date. And now he's actually getting my dad into this conversation! See what I mean? Brain dead. He's brain dead. – K_

_Well, his just trying to protect you. Big brother or not, it's just his awkward way of showing you he cares a lot about you. It's really endearing, but tell him he shouldn't be worried. I'm a gentleman. – B_

Ok, so maybe Blaine knew Finn would never believe that, but it wasn't like Blaine could really do anything about what he'd said whilst drunk, at least not for now. Maybe Finn would be understanding enough to know he wasn't usually like that. From what Blaine did remember he himself had said he knew Blaine was just saying those things because of the alcohol, so part of him wanted to believe that Finn would just let it go and not hate him out of principle. _And anyway, it's Kurt who I want, not Finn._

_A gentleman that doesn't want me to cool off? XP I will.(btw, that was very nice of you to say about him, and it might be a little true, but I still maintain my thesis that he's an idiot sent from hell to torture me) – K_

_Touché (your thesis doesn't cancel the fact that his heart is in the right place. He can't help it if his mission is torturing you, he has no control over that.) – B_

_Ahahah. Thanks for the entertainment, but Finn's currently trying to steal my cell so he can text you and pretend he's me, so I'm gonna cut this short and say bye bye, see you tomorrow, I'm looking forward to our (sort of) maybe, possibly, kind of a date. – K_

_Anytime, and I'm looking forward to it too. Bye. -B_

"What were you talking about?" Deeds climbed onto Blaine's stomach as he put down his cell.

"Not that it's any of your business, but hmmm… I'm not very confused at the moment."

"You like Kurt?" she smiled.

"I like Kurt."


	8. Something Else

Kurt took several calming breaths before opening the door and stepping out into the boiling sun. Blaine was, once again, smiling as he leant against his car. This time however, he wore less conspicuous clothes. Just a pair of olive green swim trunks and a white T-Shirt.

"Hi!" Kurt beamed, trying really hard not to skip his way over.

"Hi yourself!" Blaine returned the smile with so much warmth Kurt felt himself melt a little. Though, that might have really just been the heat. (yeah, who are we trying to kid…?) "Shall we?" the shorter boy opened the passenger's door.

"Thank you!" Kurt laughed at Blaine's chivalry as he climbed inside. Blaine jogged around the car and hopped in, quickly turning the key in the ignition "Where are we going?"

"To a beach." He smiled, pulling out of the parking space.

"Oh?" Kurt couldn't be a little disappointed. Well, sure, the beaches were beautiful, but if that's what they were going to do, they might as well have stayed put.

"Not like that!" Blaine smiled "It's actually a really beautiful beach, but it's always pretty deserted, so we can be… huh… kind of alone. People don't usually_ stay _there, because it's windy like crazy and the sea is incredibly wild, but it has the most amazing shells and seeing as you don't really go into the water anyway… I thought it'd be better than a beach filled with people and screaming kids… Here people just go to see the scenery for a few minutes or eat at the restaurant there's there…"

"Ok…" so maybe it was a little bit worth it, if they were going to be alone.

"Also, it's kind of a famous beach, there's like an old small fort there, just by the beach, and you can see an island just barely a mile off the shore, which is called like… 'the peach tree island'"

"Oh, what's so interesting about an island with a peach tree?"

"No, no peach tree… just some ruins."

"Then why the name?" Kurt frowned.

"Well, there are some legends about it… some hermit, and some crazy miracle in the eighteenth century or something, but honestly I have no idea. There's a song, too… about it. It's really pretty, and it's sung by one of the best Portuguese singers. The song says 'There was a peach tree on the island, planted there by a young man, who, for love, died young, in this place of Porto Côvo…' Personally, I like that one better. It's more romantic."

"Oh, and are you a romantic?" Kurt smirked teasingly.

"I like romance." Blaine nodded "But I like to think I'm also quite realistic."

"Well, they say moderation is always better, so I'd say you're good, then."

Blaine chuckled slightly as he opened the windows letting the wind blowing by brush against their skins. They were now on a small dirt road, surrounded by green fields, but Kurt could still see, on his right, the ocean. "Anyway, I was thinking we could stay for a while at this beach… pick some sea shells, because I'm corny like that, and then maybe stick around for the sunset…?" he grimaced slightly, well aware of how cheesy his plans sounded.

"Sounds great." Kurt smiled.

Blaine smiled, turning his full attention to the increasingly shaggy road, chewing gingerly on his cheek. "You don't think it's corny?"

Kurt shrugged "We all have a soft side…" he said with a teasing chuckle.

After just about ten minutes of driving Blaine finally parked in front of a restaurant. Kurt took in the surroundings as he stepped out of the car. The restaurant was just next to an old stone built fort.

"That's the fort." Blaine smiled, gesturing towards the ruins "it's not amazing or anything..." He shrugged moving to the back of the car and opening the trunk, hoisting a bag over his shoulder.

"Oh, what's that?"

"Towels, coats, food…" Blaine shrugged "Stuff."

"Oh, you could've said something, I would've brought my own!" Kurt half frowned, half smiled.

"No problem. Shall we?" he nodded towards the ocean, which Kurt could glimpse between the fort and the restaurant. The beach was indeed beautiful, and, as promised, practically deserted. It was windy, though, and the sea was revolted and dangerous. Kurt sighed, taking in all of it. Somehow, he loved the wind blowing in his face, and the harsh sound of the waves crashing, over and over. Most of all, he loved the prospect of spending an entire afternoon with Blaine, completely alone, in this amazing untamed beach.

He smiled and hugged himself happily.

"Oh, are you cold?" Blaine went for his bag.

"No! No…!" Kurt chuckled with a soft blush "I was… I'm really happy we're doing this."

"Oh… yeah, me too." Blaine's smile was almost shy as he ran a hand through his curls, which were perfectly messy with the wind blowing into them. It was then that Kurt remembered his own hair and the state it probably was by now.

Immediately his hand shot up to his hair "Oh my hair! It'll be a mess!" he muttered.

Blaine let out a small bark of laughter "It looks perfect as always, don't worry."

"Oh…!" Kurt felt his cheeks burn slightly and he saw Blaine's own fluster once the boy realized what he'd said "Thanks…" he mumbled with a smile so shy that only Blaine's could rival it.

"Yeah… so." he chewed on his lip, as he tried to muster up some kind of intelligence. _Come on, Blaine, you've got better game than this!_ "Is Finn still trying to…?"

"Annoy me 'till I snap and kill him?" Kurt cocked an eyebrow as they continued walking along the sand "Yes. But I was hoping we could forget about him this afternoon. A whole afternoon of not having to deal _with_ him, I'm not talking _about _him, either!"

"Aww, your love for your brother is so endearing!" Blaine mocked "I get it, you hate him, but you love him. Worry not, I'll keep his name out of our heads."

"Good…" Kurt smiled "That would be lovely."

A comfortable silence fell between them before Blaine stopped as they were already halfway through the beach and not more than thirty feet away from the raging water. He laid down the his bag and opened it, taking out a pair of towels.

"Do you want to sit, or…?"

"You said something about picking up sea shells…" Kurt smiled and Blaine immediately stood back up grinning.

"Yeah!" he sighed, rubbing his hands "I do this every summer with Deeds, since we were little kids. My grandma used to bring us here, we'd pick up some shells and then we'd take them home and paint them… We have quite the collection."

"That sounds nice."

"I was hoping you could stop by sometime this week, keep me and Deirdre company… paint some shells?"

"She wouldn't mind?"

"Are you kidding me? She loves you!" Blaine ducked quickly picking up a sea shell and examining it.

"Oh, does she? And what about her brother? Won't he mind?" _Well, this __**is**__ a date… might as well flirt!_

Blaine almost stopped walking altogether as he turned to look at Kurt, whose cheeks were deep red, but he held his ground and continued eyeing the shorter boy with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow.

"Absolutely not." He finally said, looking Kurt straight in the eye "He'd love it."

"Well, then… I'd be honored to share my fantastic artistic skills with you two, let's just work on finding me some beautiful shells and I'll make you a collection so beautiful you'll worship me and my brilliance forever."

Blaine chuckled "You're something else… you know?" he bit his lip nervously, glancing at Kurt as the other boy looked a little taken aback for a second, before returning his smile.

"I do." Kurt nodded "I know. And so are you, really, Blaine… _really_ something else."

Blaine dipped his head and shoved his hands in his pocket as butterflies filled his stomach, and his fingertips tingled. He felt like a love struck twelve year old.

Kurt mirrored him, a smirk playing at his lips. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time. Knowing that he could do this to someone, that he could make someone like Blaine blush and act like that. He'd forgotten what it was like to like someone, have them like you back. To have someone look at him, the way Blaine looked at him. And to be allowed to look at him like he wanted, to stare, to linger.

They had been silently picking up shells for a while before Kurt decided to break the silence "So… what's it like? Living in New York? Going to NYU?"

Blaine frowned for a second before smiling "It's amazing – even the things that suck." He chuckled before going into a ramble about life on the big apple and on campus. About his classes, his teachers, his classmates and his best friends. Kurt barely had to ask any questions as he just kept on talking and talking, excitedly like a child describing his best birthday party.

At some point their pockets were overflowing and they just turned back to the towels, sitting down on the same towel and they emptied their pockets. "I'm sorry!" Blaine laughed "I haven't shut up one minute…"

"No, it's fine! Really, I like finding out things about you… Getting to know you…"

"Yeah, well, I want to get to know you, too! Otherwise it's a bit unfair, isn't it?"

"Fine! What do you want to know?" Kurt smirked, laying down on his side and resting his head on his hand, propped up on one elbow.

Blaine settled, sitting cross legged in front of him, head tilted to the side "Favorite song?"

"Defying Gravity."

"Favorite movie?"

"Huh… I guess The Sound of Music… My mother and I used to watch it every Christmas."

"Mmm,... Huh… let's see. Favorite flower?"

"Red roses." Kurt smiled at Blaine's eyebrow's shooting up in surprise "Cliché, I know… but I can't help it, they're just stunning and smell amazing."

"Ok… could we…, just… tell me about your old school, your glee club…"

"Oh, you're in for a looong talk." Kurt laughed and shaking his head amused.

"We've got time." Blaine smiled sweetly and Kurt returned it full heartedly before setting off with a sigh.

"Oh… where to start…?" he laughed, rolling onto his back "Huh, let's see… we started out just five and we sucked so bad it was excruciating!"

As he talked he found Blaine genuinely interested in what he had to say – not that it was that surprising, they had had a few talks before, and Blaine had more than proven himself a great company for that, but this afternoon was all for them – no interruptions from Finn or Deirdre, no nothings. Just talking. Blaine just kept on paying attention to every word and laughing at all the right times, offering suggestions when the right words escaped Kurt… After a while, without either of them even noticing, it really had just turned into a genuine conversation about high school experiences, movies, music, books… they might have covered pretty much every topic there was to cover and then some, before Blaine grabbed his stomach with a bit of a frown "I'm kind of hungry… You?"

"I could eat something, yeah…"

"So, I brought some sandwiches and stuff, but if you want we could just go to that restaurant…?"

"I'm sure whatever you brought is great, Blaine." _Oh, wow, I just turned down dinner in a restaurant for sandwiches...! What is happening to you, Kurt?_

Blaine immediately yanked open his bag and took out two sandwiches "Tuna fish…?"

"Lovely." Kurt shrugged taking one of them and unwrapping it. "I'm a little cold… you did say you had some coats…?"

"Oh yeah!" Blaine took out two hoodies and handed one to Kurt, while pulling the other over his head.

They continued to chat as they ate clumsily, trying to protect their food from the harsh wind that would, on occasion, send a wave of sand over them. When they were finished Blaine took out a container "Do you like strawberries?"

"I love them!" he beamed as Blaine opened the container and pulled out a small bag of sugar. He picked one up, dipped it in sugar and bit into it with a soft moan of pleasure, closing his eyes as he savored the sweet fruit. When he opened them he found Blaine staring at him, his mouth slightly hanging and his cheeks flushed.

"Oh… huh…" he stuttered "Sorry."

Blaine shook his head, trying to regain some kind of mental function, or at least, some kind of 'dapper' mental function "Huh… no problem at all" he almost laughed as he picked a strawberry for himself, blushing and suddenly both of them were ridiculously aware of how they were biting into the juicy red or licking their lips clean every so often.

Suffice to say they ate them in silence, amidst coy glances and smiles (well there might've been a chuckle or two). They watched the sun slowly approaching the horizon, the sky painted in beautiful shades of pinks and oranges.

"This is beautiful…" Blaine gasped as the sun finally met the water.

"Yeah…" Kurt turned to look at Blaine, his breath hitching as he found the boy's eyes reflecting the exact same color of the golden sun, and his skin painfully beautiful in the twilight light. He wished he could just take a picture of Blaine at that moment, and keep it forever. It might have just been the most beautiful image he'd ever seen. (well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but you have to understand what was going through Kurt's mind at the time: Blaine, Blaine, Blaine, Blaine, Blaine. Oh, and hormones. There was also that running through Kurt's brain – and whole body – those damned raging hormones). As Blaine turned back to look at Kurt with a smile he couldn't help another small gasp. _Is this real?_

"Hum…" Kurt cleared his throat, fearing he was looking way too much like some brain dead idiot "You've got a… some sugar…" his voice was failing him. _Dammit, Kurt, get it together! _"Right here…" he brushed his thumb over Blaine's lower lip. He felt as Blaine's breath hitched and their eyes met, wide and expecting. Kurt kept his hand holding Blaine's chin up as they leaned towards each other.

"Oh no…" Blaine sighed, barely audible. They were mere inches apart.

"What?"

"This is horribly clichéd!" he smirked slightly, eyes twinkling "We're about to kiss on a beach, while watching the sunset, after you just brushed some sugar off my lips…"

"Oh… right… can't get any worse than that." Kurt's chuckle was small and low, as they continued staring at each together, so ridiculously close.

"What should we do? Our first kiss can't be a cliché…!" Blaine tilted his head ever so slightly, that sweet yet teasing smirk still playing at his lips, and his eyes shining with amusement, edging even closer, their noses almost touching.

"I… honestly don't know…" _My brain's melting…! RED ALERT! FIRE ESCAPE ROUTE!_

"I have an idea." Blaine sighed after a second or two of just staring, leaning even closer, actually nudging their noses together. Kurt was about to forget everything, including his own name, because he was milliseconds away from tasting _those_ lips. And then… Before he knew it Kurt was pinned to the ground and Blaine had shoved a handful of sand into his hair.

"OH MY GOD!" he screeched as Blaine leapt to his feet, laughing and started running just as Kurt got up "I'm going to kill you!" Kurt screamed, between laughs and pants.

"You'll have to catch me first!"he flashed a smug grin as he turned around to face Kurt who was sprinting towards him. He ran backwards for a second or two, watching as Kurt ran after him, struggling to keep himself from laughing, before twirling around again and continuing to sprint away. Suddenly a ball of damp sand hit his back, followed suit by another, hitting square in the back of his head, and he stopped dead in his track. He turned around to find Kurt standing with another handful of sand ready to throw and the evilest of smirks on his face.

"Oh, stab me in the back, do you?" Blaine grinned kneeling down to pick up his own handful of sand. "Face me like a man, you coward!" They started a full on sand war, getting closer and closer with each throw. After taking a rather large amount of sand to his head Blaine decided to put an end to it and dove, tackling Kurt to the ground with him. He felt the other boy struggling, but laughing, beneath him, and was surprised when Kurt's hands had found their way under Blaine's clothes and were tickling his sides. Blaine was so not ready for that that it made it incredibly easy for Kurt to gain all the leverage he needed, flipping them over and straddling Blaine, holding his wrists above his head with one hand and working at Blaine's stomach with the other. Blaine could only gasp for air between cries of laughter as he barely had any strength to struggle out of Kurt's grasp. He begged for mercy, between laughs and deep breaths "Please! Kurt…! Oh my God! Just…! Please! AH! GOD! Kurt, PLEASE STOP!" He didn't make that much of a convincing victim as he could only laugh and laugh…

"If you say I win!" Kurt smirked above him, moving his hand to tickle Blaine just above his ribs, almost as at his armpit. Blaine let out a shout of begging, bucking his hips in an attempt to throw Kurt off him, but didn't quite succeed.

He continued to writhe beneath the taller boy, laughing and gasping before panting out "Fine! AH! Fine, you win… just… OH MY GOD!" He screamed just as a wave reached them. They both gasped at the sudden cold water lapping around them, Blaine arching his back in an attempt to escape it. This time they gasped for a different reason, as Blaine's body pressed almost completely against Kurt's.

Kurt eyes' found Blaine's, as yet another wave reached them, they were still wide open, but somehow he had a feeling it had nothing to do with the freezing water around them.

"Is this still a cliché?" Blaine's breathing was ragged as he looked frantically between Kurt's eyes and Kurt's lips.

"Do you even care?"

"No, not really…" he sighed.

"Great!" Kurt almost grunted before diving in and capturing Blaine's lips in his own, meeting him halfway. He let his body weigh down on Blaine's as he let go of his wrists to run his fingers through the dark drenching curls. Blaine's newly released hands immediately flew to grab at Kurt's face, holding it in place, impossibly close, as their lips worked together, and soon enough their tongues danced around each other tasting of strawberry, sugar, and sand and salt… With a deep moan Blaine moved his hands to grasp Kurt's waist and flipped them over, loving the feeling of Kurt's arms wrapping around his back, pulling and tugging at his soaked hoodie.

"Blaine…?" Kurt sighed into the kiss as Blaine entertained himself nibbling on Kurt's lower lip.

"Mmm?"

"I'm freezing…" he pulled back, smiling apologetically.

Blaine let his head fall on Kurt's chest and he sighed, half laughing "Yeah, me too…" he grunted slightly as he pushed himself off of Kurt and stood up, before extending his hand which Kurt took gladly and let Blaine pull him up and close, wrapping an arm around his waist, locking their lips together again. Kurt wrapped his arms around his neck and pressed himself even closer and letting his tongue map out Blaine's mouth.

"Ok…!" he gasped pulling out "I'm _really _cold!" he hissed as a harsh blow of cold wind hit their soaking figures.

Blaine laughed "Yeah, come on!" He grabbed Kurt's hand and pulled him along, jogging up to where their things lay. They pulled the hoodies over their heads as quickly as they could and wrapped the towels around themselves, trying to dry themselves.

Kurt was shivering as he glanced over to Blaine who was still towel drying himself. Their eyes met for a second and they burst out laughing at how silly they must have looked.

"We should probably go to my car… I'll crank up the heat." He laughed, and Kurt nodded enthusiastically, not needing to be told twice as he picked up as much stuff as he could into his arms and started sprinting towards the car.

xXx

**So, here's their first date, and their first kiss. I hope it was every bit it makes Klaine justice. Ahaha. I'm going on holidays for a week, but I will have access to the internet, so worry not about the updates.**

**What did you think of their date? I'm a sucker for the simpler things, so sorry if it didn't live up to your expectations. **

**I gotta go now, have dinner before I hit the road w my parents for a week of sun and sea… where? Porto Côvo! XD**


	9. Finn's Victory

**Ahaha, and for this chapter: post-date bliss! Hells yeah! **

**Had a great time at the beach today. You know which one? The beach where they met XD**

**Also, I do have access to the internet to post these, but there's a limit to said access, so I don't have the time to reply to your reviews… I'll do it the moment I get home. I promise. But I am reading and appreciating each and every one of them :)**

**By the way: link to the song that Blaine mentioned on their date (previous chapter), worth listening too, even if you don't get a word out of it, because it's just beautiful and that man has a seriously amazing voice. http: / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=e5y76p4ksm8 (the images/video itself are a bit corny in how they're presented, but if my description wasn't enough, there you do get visuals, lol)**

**This chapter you get, in addition to your fair fix of Klaine (obviously), a good dose of Furt and a bit of Blinn (or Flaine). I love Furt too much for my own good – best step brothers on TV, and they barely show them… Alas… I shall not ramble though: On with it!**

**xXxXx**

Kurt collapsed against the door as soon as it closed behind him, closing his eyes, sighing and smiling to himself in the most (sickening) love struck way possible. Therefore he missed all three heads turning to him from the dining table.

"What's with you?" Burt's voice snapped his eyes wide open.

"Huh…?"

"Your hair is a mess, you have sand all over your clothes, and I'm almost positive that sweatshirt is not yours and most definitely not something you would buy!"

"Not to mention the rom-com moment just there, when you came in and practically swooned!" Finn chuckled.

Kurt blushed as he started towards his bedroom "We were at the beach, I got cold, Blaine lent me his sweatshirt." He muttered before slipping in his bedroom before anyone else could squeeze another comment or, god forbid, question.

He went directly to the bathroom, collecting his towel on the way. "Oh my…!" he gasped as he caught sight of his reflection. His hair was indeed a hot mess – it was shooting in all directions and he was pretty sure it would take him a week to wash out all the sand; and the sweatshirt looked absolutely huge on him, but he was most certainly not going to complain about that! He loved the way it looked on him and the way it smelled of Blaine. Oh, he knew he was being positively disgusting and so much of a love struck teenager he was developing cavities, but he couldn't care less. He had just had the most amazing date ever, which had lead to the most amazing kiss ever, which in itself had opened doors to the most amazing make out session ever and he still had the swollen lips (which Burt either didn't notice - _let's hope for that_ – or chose not to mention) to prove it.

He smiled at himself in the mirror, running a finger lightly through his neck where there were some marks – _oh… Dad's going to notice that… _- and thought of the ones Blaine had to match.

"Kurt Hummel, you are in for an amazing week and a half! Skin cancer be damned!" he smirked before turning on the water and (reluctantly) stripping off his still damp clothes, including Blaine's sweatshirt which he was very much considering kidnapping. Ok, so maybe it would be a whole lot more than a week and a half… _Oh, my God… it will, won't it?_

xXxXx

Blaine watched as Kurt slipped inside closing the door gently after shooting him one last dizzying smile. The very second the door clicked close he was fist bumping the air, jumping up and down, doing his happy dance and pretty much anything he could do except screaming at the top of his lungs.

That had to be the most perfect date ever! The more time they spent together, the more they connected. And Blaine was really pretty much as thrilled about that part as he was about the fact that he'd just spent almost half an hour making out with Kurt in his car before driving him back. Sure, he'd need a cold shower once he'd get home because just remembering certain things were making him… well… you get the point. But there were two things you should know about this make out session and its context in Blaine's mind: 1) it had been a WHILE since Blaine had spent 'quality time' with anyone, so finally _some_ action (as lazy and soft as that make out session had been – they really hadn't beyond one or two hickeys, and their hands had remained above the waist at all times - it still counted as action. That's how long it's been.) and just the prospect of possible further action was unbelievably good; and 2) it was, without a doubt, the best Blaine had had. Because? Because it had been Kurt.

And because he had got to kiss those precious lips, and feel them against his own neck – and he'd gotten the chance to run his fingers through Kurt's auburn hair, and feel Kurt's own soft hands on his neck and cheek… It hadn't been intense in the sense of a lot being done, but it had been intense in its own way… And yet, and now Blaine was not proud of thinking, even if there had been nothing below the waste or even near that neighborhood, he could already tell this was the smallest percentage possible of what Kurt could do… For someone with such an innocent face Kurt certainly did not live up to his appearance – he was so much better, and Blaine would have never thought it possible.

Ok, now you're thinking – _Wow, Blaine, be a little more shallow, will you?_

You are, aren't you? I don't blame you.

But, rest assured, the last half hour of that date was probably 10% of why he was looking like a complete idiot in the middle of the street at 21:30, flailing and running around in circles, skipping and dancing. Oh, he had loved that alright. Only, he had loved even more everything that had come before that, and that had made it, in everyway, pretty damn special.

They could spend hours talking. Either chatting, or Blaine talking and Kurt listening and vice-versa. Didn't matter. They could even not talk, and they were still ok. Every part of Blaine's brain was screaming he was being silly and childish. Yeah, believe me, it was – it was reciting his school books, his classroom notes, his everything related to some kind of better judgment. He just wasn't listening. Oh no, he'd stopped listening to that the moment Kurt had looked him in the eye and said with the softest voice possible "And so are you, really, Blaine… really something else."

He just wanted to be able to talk to Kurt, tell him everything, and let Kurt tell him everything in return. He just wanted to share so much, and the best part: he knew he could, he knew he would. He had that feeling, he just knew Kurt wasn't a summer fling. He couldn't be! They had too much of a connection to just be that.

Good sense be damned – he knew what he wanted, and if Kurt wanted it too… well, then Blaine would be very, very happy.

xXxXx

Kurt emerged from his room, his hair perfectly combed, his clothes impeccable and a very nice scarf around his neck.

"So we take it the day with Blaine went good?" Carole smirked from where she sat in the couch next to Burt.

"Huh, yeah…" he blushed.

"Did he kiss you?" she asked, snuggling closer to her husband.

The three of them exchanged amused looks as Kurt turned a dark shade of red "_We_ kissed."

"Oh, I win!" Finn jumped from the couch, arms outstretched in victory as if he'd just run a touchdown "Pay up, suckers!"

"Finn, language!" Carole scowled and Finn looked only mildly apologetic for a second before going back to a gloating smile.

"What do you mean 'you win'?" Kurt squinted at his brother.

"We had a bet going… Your dad said_ you _would kiss him, my mom said_ he_ would kiss you and I said you'd both go for it at the same time! I win!"

"First, that is just… huh! I can't believe you'd do that! Especially you, Carole! Gossip about me behind my back… shame on you!"

"Oh honey, I don't feel guilty in the least, you'd do the same." She waved her hand dismissively.

Kurt opened his mouth to snap back but found no biting come back "Ok. I'll give you that. But, second, why did you all assume there would be any kissing at all? It was a first date…" _Oh and now I kind of feel like a slut…._

Finn laughed "You're kidding, right? Dude, it was written all over you! I'm surprised you didn't kiss at the party the other night! Now, today… the two of you alone, on a 'sort of, maybe, kind of a date' – Kurt, dude, it'd be a miracle if it didn't happen!"

"You people are horrible!" Kurt crossed his arms over his chest and glared at them.

"And the sexual tension between you two is obvious!" Finn shrugged only to receive a harsh scowl from both Kurt and Burt, while Carole giggled. "And now we're going to go for a walk because you two owe me the most awesomest ice cream ever!"

"True, true…" Carole sighed patting her husband's knee "Come on, honey… Join us, will you, Kurt?"

"Sure." He shrugged "But one comment from any of you and I'm not talking to you for the rest of the holidays!"

xXxXx

Blaine was towel drying his hair, after a particularly long shower that may or may not have involved a little or a lot of fantasizing and most probably not of the sweet, innocent kind, when Deirdre jumped onto his back and latched herself to him, arms around his neck.

"What happened? What happened?"

"Go away!" He sighed, rolling his eyes "I'm getting dressed!"

"Not until you tell me everything! You kissed him, right? Are you boyfriends now? Was it awesome? I bet it was!" she squealed into his ear and he winced, prying her arms from around his shoulders and standing up as he tightened the towel hanging around his hips.

"It was, can you please go now, I'm trying to get dressed…" he rolled his eyes.

"But did you kiss?"

He sighed, picking up a pair of boxers and pulling them on before letting go of his towel "Yes, yes we did…" he was going for annoyance but he couldn't quite pull it off - it was still all too fresh in his memory.

"And…? Are you boyfriends?"

Blaine had to stifle a chuckle "It doesn't work like that, Deeds…" he smiled "We kissed but that still doesn't mean we're getting together, especially as boyfriends. We still don't know each other for that long and at my age being someone's boyfriend is something serious." He reasoned as buttoned up his jeans._ Only we're both going to the same college, in the same city, and I really, really have a feeling this will work._

"What does that mean, though?"

Blaine picked up a pair of socks and sat down next to Deirdre "It means that we like each other, but we need to get to know one another before being boyfriends."

"So…" she pulled her eyebrows together in confusion "what does that make you?"

Blaine frowned a little before shrugging "I don't know… Prospective boyfriends?" he offered_. If he wants…_

"That is a bit silly – if you know you want to be his boyfriend and he wants to be your boyfriend then you shouldn't be keep delaying it."

"You'll get it when you're older." He sighed pulling on his T-Shirt. No use trying to discuss this with the hopelessly romantic and oh-so-wise Deirdre.

"I hate it when you say that!"

"Well, it's true." He shrugged going for his hair product.

She scowled for a second before smiling again "Can we please go for a walk?"

"Sure… Why would I be getting dressed at this hour if not."

"Cool." She smiled as she got up and made to leave the room before stopping, her hand already on the doorknob "Was it amazing, though?"

"What?"

"The kiss…?"

Blaine chuckled, shaking his head at his sister giddiness over _his_ own love life "Yes, Deirdre, it was the best kiss I've ever had, now can you please leave me alone or _at least_ talk about something else?"

She giggled and shrugged "I'll wait for you downstairs."

xXxXx

"So, did he woo you like the dapper gentleman he seems to be?" Carole smiled, and Finn snorted loudly next to Kurt, who shot him a questioning look, to which his brother merely shrugged with a lopsided grin as he flung an arm around his shoulders.

"Yeah, little bro, did he woo you?"

Kurt looked up at his brother and Carole, frowning and scowling "Woo me? What? I'm not a beautiful maiden in search of a Charming Prince! We had a great date, we went to the beach, picked up some sea shells and talked… a lot… and then we had dinner while watching the sunset, we had a sand fight and then we kissed, and… and then he drove me home. That was it."

"I'm going to pretend I believe he brought you home right after you kissed…" he chuckled and Kurt looked about ready to kill him as Carole giggled but moved to meet Burt, shaking her head "But I'm not buying your 'it was just another date' attitude. You're smitten, I know it!"

"How?" Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Well apart from the totally swooning just back then, when you got home… You haven't stopped checking your phone and looking around us – one guess you're looking for him."

Kurt stopped just as he scanned the entrance of the main square and turned slowly to meet Finn's eyes. "You didn't use to be this intelligent." He muttered after a minute of glaring.

"You didn't use to be so quick to insult me when you were in love with me!" Finn shrugged, snapping back, trying to mimic Kurt's bitch face. Big fat fail. Alas…

"Ok!" Kurt sighed "I'm completely head over heels, and it's been half a week, so fine, I'm a sucker for him! Sue me!"

"A sucker…?" Finn gasped for air as he burst out laughing, finally letting go of Kurt's shoulders to clutch his stomach "Best. Wording. Possible."

"Oh Finn, get your head out of the gutter, will you?" Kurt scoffed, hoping dearly that his father hadn't heard that, but judging from the way Burt had stiffened slightly, a few feet ahead of them, and Carole seemed to be chuckling slightly it was improbable "I meant that, against my better judgment, I will admit that I might have genuine feelings for Blaine, even if we met this week."

"You used to be such a romantic…" Finn frowned slightly, but still smiling.

"I used to be a lot of things, Finn. I grew up. I'm not the kid that falls in love with a jock just because he won't shove me against lockers like all the others anymore." Kurt regretted his bitter tone as soon as he saw Finn's smile disappear into thin air "Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… I didn't mean it, not like that. You're sweet to care like you do."

Finn smiled again, small at first, but then, throwing his arm around Kurt's shoulders again he shrugged and smiled broadly "You're my brother, and you always help me out with Rachel and I just want to be there for you too – you know, repay the favor."

"Well, then, just don't do it by embarrassing me to no ends."

"How do I do it, then?"

Kurt frowned and bit his lip before looking up to his brother "By telling me I'm not crazy to think what I have with Blaine might actually be real…"

"You're not." Finn said immediately, but his tone was drenched in honesty "I was crazy about Rachel not that long after I knew her. I mean, sure, she freaked me out at first, but it really didn't take that long, and… Anyway, what I mean is, you're not crazy, Kurt. Sometimes people just connect, and sometimes they need more time. You two connected and that's awesome, man. I knew it the moment I saw the two of you talking by the sea."

"So it's not me being childish and hopeless? Believing in fairytale romances?"

"I'm not saying you should label yourselves just know, dude, but I'm willing to bet at the end of these vacations you'll still be… well, together."

"Finn…" Kurt sighed "I… Thanks."

"No problem, dude."

"I love it that you're my brother, you know that, right? I know I can be mean sometimes, but I really do love it."

"I know, and I do too."

"Awesome, dude!" Kurt joked, reaching up for a quick hug, which Finn, even if surprised returned full heartedly, tightening his grip around Kurt's waist and even going as far to hoisting him up "Finn!" Kurt squealed "Put me down!" he screamed even more as his stepbrother laughed even louder and in a swift movement threw him over his shoulder as easily as if Kurt was a sack of potatoes "FINN!"

Kurt flailed and kicked trying to at least looked around to see if he could find his father or Carole's eyes and beg them for help. Instead he found someone else – warm hazel eyes, crinkling up with laughter.

"Finn!" Kurt gasped "Put me down…"

Finn noticed the change in tone and looking around he noticed exactly what had caused it, finding Blaine laughing rather loudly at the sight, even if he himself was carrying his little sister on his shoulders, as she held on to his head, pulling slightly at his curls. Finn beamed at the two siblings, putting Kurt down carefully "Hey, mom, Burt, wait up!"

The four of them waited up as Blaine walked over, his sister beaming from her place high on his shoulders. All the while Kurt kept fussing with his outfit, mumbling about creases and wrinkles.

"Finn! Hi!" Deirdre sighed as they reached the smiling family of four.

"Hey, missy, how's the view?" Finn chuckled, as Kurt and Blaine exchanged smiles, each itching to ditch everyone else and just disappear to anywhere else.

"It's good, I can see everything, even if Blaine's kind of short." She shrugged at the last part and her brother looked up to glare at her.

"Oh! Sure, mock the gift!"

Finn laughed and continued to beam at the young girl "Well, then, do you want a better view? I hear the landscape from my shoulders is awesome!"

"Really?" The two curly haired siblings asked at the same time – Deirdre beaming and Blaine looking somewhere between grateful and surprised.

"Of course, come on up!" The tall teen grabbed the girl and both Blaine and Kurt made sure she landed safely on his shoulders.

"Hold on, you, I don't want you falling and getting hurt!" Blaine called up.

"Yeah!" she gasped, looking around herself, as if she'd just arrived to Heaven.

"Hey…?" Finn looked slightly upwards trying to meet the giddy girl's eyes "Want an ice-cream?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright!" he raised a hand for a hi-five before starting towards the ice-cream shop "Off we go!"

Burt and Carole followed the two of them with smiles and chuckles, and before they knew it Blaine and Kurt were staring after them, standing next to each other. Kurt was the first to snap out of it. "Oh, huh, we should… get a move on…" he cringed slightly at his wording.

Blaine chuckled noticing it too, but refrained from commenting "Right, let's go… I'd like an ice-cream, too, actually. Would you like one?" He shot Kurt one of his signature charming smiles as they started walking after the group, easily spotting Deirdre perched up on Finn's broad shoulders.

"I… huh… a whole ice cream?" _calories…. Damn you! Why do you exist?_

"Would you care to share one with me?" Blaine smiled again, bumping his shoulder against Kurt's.

"Yeah, that'd be nice." He blushed slightly.

"I… wanted to tell you… _again_… that I really had an amazing time today." Blaine chuckled at his own bashfulness.

Kurt smiled letting go of his own embarrassment, because, dammit, he was Kurt Hummel, and he would not be reduced to a sighing and swooning idiot, even if it was Blaine! "Well, whenever you feel like having a re-run just give me a call, then!" he smirked.

Blaine was a little surprised at first but quickly snapped out of his nerves, and soon enough he was returning the playful smirk, stuffing his hand to his pocket, retrieving his cell and quickly enough dialing Kurt's number.

Kurt laughed as Blaine took his cell to his ear, his eyes scanning the sky as he waited for it to start ringing. Soon enough Kurt's iPhone was blasting Lady Gaga in his own pocket and he fished it out with another laugh, answering.

"Yes? Kurt here…"

"Oh, hi Kurt!" Blaine said cheerfully as he silently held up an excusing finger "Excuse me…" he muttered covering the mouth piece and turned to walk a few feet away "Sorry, I was just talking to someone. Anyway, I was calling because… I was thinking, if you'd like, I'd really love to take you out again sometime soon."

"Oh!" Kurt feigned surprise, biting back laughter as he watched Blaine playing with a little rock with his foot as he held his cell to his ear "I… well, that depends."

Blaine spun around to look at him with a soft frown but still smiling "Oh…?"

"Can_ I_ take you out? Or actually… make that, take you in. Would you care to come over tomorrow for dinner?"

He watched as, ten feet away, Blaine's eyebrows shot up and he beamed "I'd be honored!"

"Well, then. Be honored and at seven thirty at my house tomorrow."

"Wait!" Blaine frowned slightly "Deeds asked if we could paint those seashells tomorrow… what if you'd come over after lunch and then we'll go to yours for dinner?"

"Sounds lovely!" Kurt smiled.

"It's a date!"

"Oh, not a sort of maybe kind of a date?"

"No, it's a date." Blaine nodded with a soft chuckle.

"Alright then. Looking forward to it."

"Yeah me too."

"I'm hanging up now…" Kurt laughed starting towards Blaine.

"Yeah, ok." Blaine's laughter was cut off on the line but continued to fill Kurt's heart as he reached him.

"Now that was just silly… You just wasted all that money…"

Blaine shrugged "Meh, I can think of worse things to waste my money on. Let's go, I want an ice-cream, and I think my sister is getting a little too excited for her own safety."

Kurt was going to look for the little girl and his brother when his breath hitched and his heart skipped a beat. Because Blaine's hand was slipping into his. He turned to look at Blaine, but he was just staring ahead, only a hint of a smirk at his lips. Kurt let go of the breath he'd been holding with a soft smile and relaxed easily into Blaine's hold.

When they entered the ice-cream shop they found Finn receiving an impossibly large cup of ice cream with every topping in existance. Kurt almost gagged, while Blaine smiled with fondness and gratitude as he noticed Finn handing Deeds the cup which also held two spoons – they were sharing! _Oh, I'm going to listen to soooo much gushing tonight!_

"What flavors do you want?" Blaine pulled them towards the line.

"Hmmm… I don't know. Surprise me!"

Blaine squinted at him "That's a cliché answer and the biggest cop out ever."

Kurt gasped and slapped Blaine's shoulder with a scowl.

"Just sayin'…" he shrugged, pulling them once again as the line moved forward.

In the end Blaine ended up coming up to Kurt with chocolate and mint ice-cream, smiling hesitantly. Kurt chuckled, taking the cup from his hand "Meh… it'll do."

Blaine laughed at Kurt's obvious teasing, and this time it was his turn to be taken by surprise as the other boy's hand found his, and Kurt was tugging him along towards his family and Deeds, who was still (_oh good God, Finn is a saint!_) on Finn's shoulders, feeding him spoonfuls of ice cream and giggling all the way.

All four of them did their double takes at their joint hands. Deeds shared a wide grin with Finn, while Carole giggled and smiled to herself and Burt merely… looked. _Oh crap he hates me… He sooo hates me. I need to – Oh, wait! Was that a smile? Was it? Was it? Was it?_

"Yes, Blaine, that was a smile."

"Wait? Did I say that out loud?"

"No, it was just written all over your face!" Kurt rolled his eyes and squeezed his hands before smiling and leaning closer to whisper "Don't worry, he's just trying to act like the overprotective father he thinks he should be. He likes you."

"How do you know?" Blaine leaned even closer and dropped his voice even lower, smirking slightly.

Kurt just chuckled, pecking Blaine on his cheek (_Oh, that was so cute and sweet, I might pass out! Wait – Blaine, how old are you again? Yeeeah, that's what I thought…_) before straightening up and shooting a sideways glare at his family as he started "Well, there was the fact that my family had a bet going to see who would kiss who today… and he was positively into it, and also he told me the first night we met you were good-looking enough and sounded pretty nice."

"Oh… Alright!" Blaine beamed before frowning "Wait did you just say there was a bet?"

"Oh, yeah… Apparently they not only like to speculate about my love life but they go even further as to try to make earnings off of it too."

"Ahhh… but no one won, then. _We _kissed, I didn't kiss you, nor did you kiss me. It was both of us, at the same time."

"No… Finn managed to see that coming. Somehow." Kurt muttered with a heavy sigh "I think he's getting smarter… I must be rubbing off on him."

"Oh, wow, Kurt, I sure hope your humility rubs off on me!" Blaine teased bumping their shoulders together.

Kurt laughed "No, seriously, though, the guy's been saying some good stuff these few days. I'm impressed. And worried."

"Worried? Isn't his stupidity the reason he makes your life a living hell?"

"Yes, but that I've become used to and I've learnt how to use it to my advantage most of the time… Now, tell me I don't have to get used to an insightful Finn who can use said insight to know stuff about _me _and my life and then blackmail _me_ like _I_ do to _him _all the time. I have leverage for now, but if his brain continues to improve I will lose it! I'm a lot smaller, I can't threaten him with bodily harm!" Blaine stared with wide eyes and a deep amused frown, spoon still in his mouth "What?"

"You have issues!"

"Oh please!" Kurt rolled his eyes as he dug his spoon into the ice cream "As if you didn't do the same thing! You blackmailed your sister right in front of me, so she wouldn't tell me what you'd said."

"That's different…! I'm not… it's…" Blaine sighed "I'm not content with a dumb sister just so I can have my way, I'm just enjoying it _while_ I can."

Kurt sniffed and looked away "Whatever. Finn's newfound intelligence will ruin my life. I just know it."

Blaine laughed and ran a thumb through Kurt's "Well, if I can help in any way, any time, just let me know, will you? I'll try to rescue from big bad Finn if it kills me…!"

"Not that I need a knight in shining armor, but that will be very nice. Thank you, Blaine!" Kurt tried to maintain his 'bitch' tone, trying to scowl at Blaine for making fun of his smart-Finn-phobia, but by the end was failing completely and he was beaming and on the verge of one of his unavoidable blushes.

"Just to see that blush it's worth it…" Blaine teased nudging Kurt's with his shoulder.

"Damn you and your irresistible charm!"

"Irresistible, hey?" Blaine shot him one hell of a smile – you know, one of _those_ smiles – and Kurt wanted to smack him in the face for managing to _really _look irresistible, instead of ridiculous like anyone else would've.

"I'm going to ignore you now." He announced, turning his face towards the full streets and holding his chin high "HEY DEEDS!" he called, starting towards his own brother and the little girl. Blaine laughed as he let go of Kurt's hand, watching him reach the duo.

"Hey, wanna try another set of shoulders?" Kurt told her "I'm mad at your brother, I need someone to talk to."

Deeds turned to look at Blaine who was still laughing at Kurt's antics, while scratching his head, trying to look as innocent as possible. She shot him a scowl before nodding. Finn, just as amused, helped her onto Kurt's shoulders. Both Blaine and Finn were surprised to see the lithe boy walk away, back straight and pace just as steady.

"I'm sorry about Deeds… She must be a little annoying." Blaine said after a moment with an apologetic look.

"Na! I love kids!" Finn smiled broadly "No way, it's cool, man!"

"Well, thanks… And thanks for humoring her. It's really kind of you, Finn. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to deal with her heartbreak when you guys leave, but…"

"Tell her I would've loved to stay, but that one day someone else will be the luckiest man in the world because _he_'ll get to stay. It's true, too. She's great! I'll miss her…" He shrugged with the kindest smile "And, about that… what about you and Kurt… I mean…"

"What will we do?" Blaine understood what Finn meant, and shrugged slightly with a small sigh "I guess we'll have to stick with skype and phone calls for a while…"

"So you want to be with him? Like really be with him?"

Blaine paused to think for a moment, Yes, it was always the same question, over and over again. He hadn't talked to Kurt about it, but he knew they should, and soon too "It's not that simple, man, but yeah… I think so." Blaine smiled "Your brother's amazing – I've never met someone so… I can't describe it. He's _Kurt_." He finished lamely and chuckling.

"That he is." Finn nodded "Well, cool, then, cuz I think I like you. You're ok, dude. You're real nice, and I'll even feel a bit sorry for you if I do have to kick your ass one day…"

"Thanks… I guess." Blaine almost laughed "Oh, and I'm sorry for those things I said at the party, it was vulgar and…"

"Hey, don't mention it, dude. To be fair, I've said way worse things about girls when I was completely sober and let's not even go down the 'when I'm drunk' road… So, I guess I can't really hold you for that one, can I?" he chuckled uneasily "If it hadn't been my brother it would've been a hell of a lot funny, actually!"

"Yeah, thanks. I'm glad you don't think I'm a douche. And I really like you, too."

"Aw, thanks!" Finn looked a little bit like a ten year old, and it was so endearing "You'll make a cool brother-in-law."

"Yeah, you'll make one too, once you pop the question to Deeds and she has a heart attack out of pure joy!"


	10. The Kitchen Counter

**Sorry for the slight delay…. Beach with the family is more time consuming than I expected. Well, then, there you go… Onwards to their second date.**

**(Again, I do read the reviews, but as of right now I can't really repley – but thank you everyone and when I get home, where I have proper internet access I'll repley to them individually as best as I can) Let me know what you think.**

xXxXx

"Hey!" Kurt smiled as the small girl yanked the door open with a squeal.

"Kurt!" she threw her arms around his waist, squeezing him tightly. He ruffled her hair with a laugh before hoisting her up.

"So where are the sea shells? You'll see, I'll beat Michael Angelo at his own game!"

Deeds giggled "Upstairs, on the balcony. I have everything ready, all the paints and the brushes. You two picked beautiful shells, by the way!"

"Why thank you, miss." Kurt beamed as he put her down by the bottom steps "Let's go, then… Where's your brother?"

"In his room, his music is really loud, and grandma is out with a friend, so I was downstairs to make sure someone would hear the doorbell."

"Clever, clever girl!" Kurt chuckled at her self-proud expression "Shall we go tell him I'm here?"

Deeds nodded cheerfully as she pointed towards the door on their left. Kurt knocked softly and opened it carefully only peeking in. Blaine's music was indeed incredibly loud, which is why he didn't even avert his eyes from his computer, Kurt going unnoticed.

"Is that Sam's Facebook?" Kurt's voice right next to him sent Blaine flying and nearly falling off his chair. Kurt continued to look halfway between confused and amused at Blaine as the older boy clutched to his chest and panted.

"Jesus Christ, you scared the sh-hell out of me. Deeds! I told you to tell me when Kurt got here!"

"Why? So I wouldn't catch you spying on my ex's Facebook profile?" Kurt teased, sitting on the edge of Blaine's desk.

"Exactly!" Blaine shot him a glare, his face red with embarrassment "Deeds, wait outside for us, will you? We'll be there in five."

She seemed a bit put out at this but complied. As she closed the door behind her Kurt turned to look at Blaine, smirking and an eyebrow cocked.

"Hi!" Blaine said, his voice slightly strained, as he closed his internet browser.

"Are you going to tell me why you were on Sam's Facebook…?"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"I just… I was curious, that's all…"

"Huh-huh…."

"Well, fine. There's also the fact that he's blonde and blue eyed, tall and has perfect abs, and I'm… super short, dark hair, no abs…"

"And gorgeous."

"What?"

"You forgot gorgeous when you were describing yourself, Blaine. Listen, if you feel insecure about it you should come to me…" Kurt shrugged slightly "Besides, if that's what you were worried about, I don't have a specific type of guy I'm attracted to… like… at all." Kurt shuddered slightly at the time when he would've given anything to be with Finn. And then he almost laughed as he pictured Finn, Sam, and Blaine, all standing in a line, side by side. Let's count the resemblances?... yeeeah…

"Ok… I promise I'm not stalking or anything…" Blaine half laughed.

Kurt chuckled and shrugged his shoulders again "Never thought you were…"

"He seems cool." Blaine sighed after a moment of silence.

"He is cool…" Kurt nodded "We're still very good friends, but like I said, it's more than over. In the end, the feelings I did have for him weren't worth the sacrifice of pushing myself halfway back into the closet." He shrugged "But he's really great – I think you'd get along pretty well…"

"That's… kind of weird…"

"This conversation is weird, Blaine." Kurt pointed out with a soft laugh "Unless you want to tell me about your ex's, we should probably go out there before Deeds goes mad."

Blaine laughed "Yeah… I can get more intel from Finn, anyway. Facebook can only get me so far…" he joked.

"Don't even think about it!" Kurt managed before Blaine's lips had shut him up with a short, but firm kiss.

xXxXx

Kurt slid the brush carefully through the shell and smiled broadly at the perfect line. "Done!"

Blaine and Deirdre exchanged amused looks. They had painted about three shells each while Kurt had just now finished his first. Granted, it was painted to perfection.

"What?" Kurt shot them both a slight scowl.

"You know, we're not trying to outdo Da Vinci here…" Blaine chuckled.

"Blaine, everything I do, I do it to be perfect, not to be good, or passable." He said, holding his head high and straightening his back in his chair.

"Oh, _I know_…" Blaine muttered, looking down to pick up a tiny shell and grabbing the light blue ink.

Kurt immediately felt his cheeks burning and threw at Blaine the first shell his fingers could find, which hit his head and fell to the tiled floor with a soft 'clink'. Blaine laughed and shrugged before going back to his painting. Deirdre watched the exchange with barely a frown before shrugging and cheerfully announcing "I'm painting this one for Finn!"

"His favorite color is red." Kurt smiled at her with a quick wink.

"Thanks!"

After a few more hours of sea shell painting and easy chatter and banter Kurt and Blaine decided it was time to tide things up, Kurt taking with him the ones he'd chosen to give Burt, Carole and Finn. "Hey…" Blaine smiled coyly "Why don't you go ahead and I'll be right there… I was thinking of taking a shower… It's a bit hot and I'm kind of sweaty, so…"

"Yeah, no problem, be there whenever you're ready!" Kurt almost sighed in relief. He was thinking exactly the same. He hadn't really thought it out when he'd agreed to this, but now he'd been almost regretting it because he was starting to fear he wouldn't have the chance to take a shower, perfect his hair and change his outfit for a date-worthy one.

"Ok…" Blaine said, walking Kurt to the door "I'll text you when I leave the house, just to give you fair warning." He teased.

"Why, thank you!" Kurt feigned some sort of indignation at the implication but he was soon smiling as Blaine opened the door and he stepped outside "See you later…" he shot over his shoulder.

"Wait!" Blaine called after him, barely managing to catch his wrist. In one swift movement he pulled Kurt flush against him and locked their lips. Both melted into the kiss, Kurt letting his arms wrap around Blaine's waist, resting there and Blaine's were pulling Kurt down, even closer, from around his neck.

"Ok, then…" Blaine panted slightly "See you later…"

"Yeah…" Kurt sighed, resisting the urge to add 'Hurry up!' before starting to walk away, backwards, because he couldn't for the life of him tear his eyes away from those hazel ones and that smile that exuded warmth, as Blaine leaned against his door frame smiling, also unable to move his gaze, and looking as Kurt reluctantly turned the corner.

Blaine lingered at the door before a cough from inside snapped him out of his reverie and he found his grandmother, bags in hand, practically laughing as she watched him blush and hastily close step aside to let her in. "I'm gonna go get ready…" he mumbled.

On his way to his bedroom he passed by the terrace where they'd been doing their 'arts and crafts' project and eyed his shells carefully. He spotted one that he'd barely painted. It was tiny and perfect pearly white, and he'd just brushed some pink and orange at the edges, reminding him of a sunset. He smiled picking it up and going to the tool cabinet.

xXxXx

Kurt strode in with a small frown "Hey…" he waved at the three people gathering their belongings (yes, Kurt had pretty much thrown them out of the house and they were, therefore, going out for dinner) "Why is there a stage being set up outside?"

As he'd arrived to their street he would have had a hard time missing the large stage being set up at the surprisingly empty parking lot at the cliff.

"I dunno…" Finn shrugged. "I saw some posters around today, but I can't really read them…"

"Oh… ok…" he shrugged "Hey, I painted you some sea shells." He beamed handing the three of them their respective shells.

"Hey you made mine like a plaid flannel shirt!" Burt grinned.

Kurt smirked and shrugged "I'm gonna go take a shower, now. Have a nice dinner."

"Alright, we'll be back by ten." Burt looked at his son purposefully and Kurt resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I know!"

"Have fun!" Carole called out in a singsong voice.

Kurt was quick (yes, I'm serious!) to get ready, having already picked out his outfit in the morning. And was now carefully setting the table, lighting up candles all around the living room, when his cell phone rang.

_Hurry up on the hair! I'm there in five! :P – B_

_FYI, I'm not doing my hair – I've been ready for a long time now. – K_

As promised the door bell rang after five minutes. Kurt inspected the room carefully searching for any misplaced item or forgotten detail, but found none. He swung open the door "Why, hello!"

Blaine stood there looking at Kurt, his mouth hanging a little open. "What? Do I have something in my hair?" his hand immediately shot up to feel it.

Blaine shook his head, still unable to string words together, taking Kurt's hand back down and smiling slightly and nervously "N-no… nothing in your hair… Just… You look really nice." He sighed "Like, really..." he took a deep breath, reminding himself that this was a date, he was allowed to stare and to marvel at how the way Kurt had done his hair reminded Blaine a little of James Dean, or how the black vest he was wearing over a silver shirt hugged his slender body just perfectly and enhanced just how tight his light blue (and most definitely designer) jeans actually were, and the way that he'd left the first two top buttons of his shirt open, letting his porcelain skin shine through, made Blaine want to reach out and touch it just to check if it was as smooth as he remembered, or how, for some strange reason, the rolled up sleeves, revealing his forearms gave that amazing ensemble the right touch of sexy. "You look absolutely stunning, Kurt."

"Oh!" Kurt gasped slightly at the unexpected compliment "Thank you. You look beautiful as well." And he really did. He was actually wearing a button down shirt of a beautiful light shade of olive green, and he had a loose black tie over it to match his dark grey wash jeans. "Huh, so come on in!" he breathed stepping aside to let Blaine through.

"Oh, wow!" Blaine marveled at the twinkling candles, and the beautifully set table "You did all this?"

"Yes, of course…"

"But… just for…?" _me?_

"Of course, Blaine. I want this dinner to be as perfect as our date at the beach was. I had a lot to live up to."

Blaine's mind was reeling with cheesy answers like 'if you're with me it'll always be as perfect!' but he couldn't afford to sound that much of a blubbering idiot "But how…? You didn't have time…"

"I left most of it ready in the morning… The brownies are still waiting to go in the oven, though." Kurt smiled, a little smug at his own achievements "And Carole helped me out with dinner. So, would you like some entrées?"

Blaine marveled at Kurt's cooking, as the meal progressed and he could barely keep himself from moaning and praising the food every two minutes. Kurt excused himself as they ate desert (a mix of melon, watermelon and oranges) when the oven alarm went off, to tend to the brownies and Blaine shouted from the living room "That smells like heaven! Kurt, I'm stealing you! You're becoming my slave! My kitchen slave!"

Kurt chuckled and poked his head out of the kitchen "Just kitchen slave? Nothing else?" he raised a teasing eyebrow, and Blaine nearly choked on his food.

After a few moments of just staring at Kurt's playful expression he finally gasped "No, definitely not." As he got up and closed the distance between them in two quick strides, locking their lips together in a searing kiss. He broke it only to keep kissing at Kurt's jaw, and then, that little bit of exposed skin, and _oh it really is that smooth_, and biting ever so slightly and Kurt's breath became heavier and heavier and he was pulling Blaine along with him, walking backwards towards the kitchen. He maneuvered them, spinning them around so that Blaine's lower back was now pressed against the kitchen counter. With just a tug he'd gotten the message, and hopped on to it, just as Kurt settled between his legs and returning his lips to Blaine's, leaning in so passionately that Blaine's back was pressed against the wall and Kurt was practically climbing on top of the counter as well.

Between moans and gasps it wasn't really clear to them how exactly they ended up laying on the counter, Kurt straddling Blaine and pulling at his tie, eager for even more proximity. They only stopped as one of them kicked a (thankfully) small stack of plates to the floor, crashing them entirely. Kurt jumped off Blaine in a matter of seconds, searching wildly for the source of the ruckus. "Damn…" he muttered, eyeing the scattered broken pieces.

Behind him, still on the counter, Blaine was propping himself up on his elbows, and he knew he should be feeling bad for breaking all those plates, but he couldn't bring himself to care. All he could think about was Kurt's hands on his legs, Kurt's lips on his neck, his lips on Kurt's collar bone, the feel of his… _ass_ under his hands. He was still trying to catch his breath, feeling every inch of him on fire when Kurt turned back to him, looking just as disheveled and out of it.

"Well… that was intense…" Blaine managed to breathe out. It wasn't witty, it wasn't charming, it wasn't even funny. It was just the truth, because that was all he could muster up right now. His brain had melted. He was quite certain of it.

Kurt was panting as he nodded eagerly before, suddenly closing the gap between them once more, and they were back, pulling at each other, kissing, biting, grabbing… He grunted as Kurt's hand grabbed his ass, pulling him closer, and their hips connected and _OH MY GOD!_

And, then, as sudden as its beginning came its end as Kurt pulled away, gasping for air, eyes wide open and hand over his mouth "Oh my God!"

"What?" Blaine's heart was now hammering and for the first time in the last five minutes it had nothing to do with Kurt's body and what it was doing to him. It was just pure panic. _What did I do wrong?_

"I'm… so sorry! I'm… I'm never like this!" he panted.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… this _was _intense. And this is our second date!" Kurt was pacing around the kitchen "I'm… I'm a slut! We're on our second date and I'm practically dry humping you on the _kitchen counter_!"

"I…" Blaine was lost for words. Kurt was a bit right. Blaine wasn't like this either. His first boyfriend had had to wait five months until they actually starting doing_ stuff_. And another two months for sex. And then, even after that, which mind you, had been, less than two years ago, he had never gotten this physical this fast. I mean, talk about physical: he could see Kurt's erection in his tight jeans, and he could sure feel his own, straining, painfully actually, against his own. "I'm so sorry, Kurt! I never meant…! I mean… This isn't like me either… I just…"

"Oh boy…" Kurt, sighed, running his shaky hands through his hand.

"Oh, my God, please, don't tell I just screwed everything up!" Blaine breathed out, letting himself fall back onto the counter.

"What do you mean_ you _just screwed things up?" Kurt turned to him.

"Well, I didn't mean to make things go this fast, I just… got carried away."

"But it's not your fault, Blaine." Kurt was almost smiling now.

"I… it's… a little bit my fault."

"Well it's your fault that you're so amazing right now, thinking this is your fault, that I really just want to kiss you and wipe that frown of your face, but last time I checked_ I_ pushed you against the counter, _I _climbed on top of you,_ I _pushed your… well… our… hmmm… erections together…" Kurt's face was scarlet and he looked about one minute away from collapsing.

"Oh… when you put it that way… I guess it was little bit your fault." Blaine chanced a small smile, as Kurt came to sit down next to him on the counter.

"I just… I don't know why I did it! I'm not like this, I swear, I don't want you to think I'm a slut, I'm really not!"

"Me neither, and Kurt I don't think you're a slut because in the heat of the moment we_ both _got carried away…" _Ok, that's good Blaine, your brain's starting to work again_ "Don't think for a second I was anywhere near uncomfortable… Trust me, I was melting back here…" he smiled a little, grabbing Kurt's hand "We could and should probably cool off, but Kurt, I want to… Well, I _want_. But this is new to me too, and I've never been this… forward this fast… I'm reeling here…"

"Ok… so what now?"

"Well, for a starter's you need to fix those clothes, because it's distracting… you look hot and I need to cool off." He scratched the back of his neck, trying to hide his blush "And then maybe we should… talk."

Kurt nodded as he, thankfully, straightened his shirt and buttoned it all the way up "Ok, let's talk then…" he mumbled leaving the kitchen. Blaine followed him to the couch where they sat, at least two feet apart "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well… This… This is probably a bit silly, and… Anyway, Kurt, I'm kind of scared in a way… We've known each other for a very short time, but I feel like I've known you for years and the truth is I've spent every minute thinking about you ever since you woke me up… I'm freaked out because this has never happened to me, and as much as I love a good romantic comedy once in a while I've stopped believing in all those boy meets… well, boy, in this case, and fall madly in love for each other over night and just know that they're the ones for each other and are married after a month and live happily ever after idiocies. I would know that'd hardly ever be true, I study psychology."

"But we work alright together…"

"I think we do… I have… I can't explain, I have this feeling about you. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself, I really am, but Kurt, you're amazing, and haven't felt like this about anyone since… ever. I'm not saying I love you and I want to get married, that's not it at all, but…"

"This isn't just a summer romance." Kurt offered.

"Exactly. And when you leave, at the end of next week, I will want you to skype me every night because I can't really bear the thought of spending a whole day without talking to you, anymore. I will want to get back to New York and have you there waiting for me at the airport. I will want to be there for you while you get used to New York's crazy things… and I will definitely want to be your boyfriend. But I also want to be sensible and have some kind of good sense and know that we can't really be boyfriends right now… Can we?" Blaine was almost hopeful as he looked at Kurt, nearly out of breath. "Not yet, right?"

"Blaine…" Kurt relaxed and edged closer to the other boy "I feel the exact same thing."

"Really?"

"Every feeling and every doubt. I'm just as confused." He shrugged slightly with a small smile "Maybe that is exactly why we're jumping each other's bones like this… I mean, a physical relationship… it's easy, it's fast… it's… not complicated at all. Except we're not the type of people to just get physical like that, and maybe we do need to be a little braver and try to face our doubts and everything instead of copping out with sex. We're substituting words for sex..., well, almost sex…"

"Why aren't you studying psychology?" Blaine joked and Kurt chuckled.

"My point is… We have a week and a half ahead of us… And I went to spend that time with you. Maybe I won't call you my boyfriend, maybe this isn't exactly a relationship, but I am ready to say that I want you to be my boyfriend in the near future."

"That's what I've been thinking, but it still feels so indecisive… The lines are so blurry."

"Let's just spend this time we have getting to know each other, no pressure, and then we can think about clearing up any blurry lines. I think we just need to talk about this – I feel better knowing we're on the same page. I already like you a lot, you already like me a lot, I suppose… so there's no need to impress… Let's just hang out."

"So no steamy make out sessions?"

Blaine almost laughed as Kurt cringed clearly debating with the same dilemma "Let's just put it this way – no avoiding talking _with_ steamy make out sessions… but… if they come naturally…" he offered smiling carefully "It's not like I can just erase from my memory what happened back there, and now that I've had it it'd be painful and excruciatingly frustrating to let it go…" Blaine nodded furiously in agreement "Let's just… do what feels _right_."

"Oh, you speak of wisdom!" Blaine sighed, half laughing with relief, before relaxing himself onto the back of the couch, running a hand through his hair before turning to look at Kurt with a small smirk playing at his lips "You know what, Kurt…? I have a feeling we'll be more than boyfriends…" Kurt frowned slightly and gave him a questioning look "I think we might just be best friends as well."

"Oh…"

"And, just so you know, I have a soft spot for romantic comedies about best friends."

Kurt smiled with a slight blush a leaned forward to press his lips to Blaine's cheek "Just so you know… I think_ you_ are going to make me_ really_ happy…" his voice was barely a whisper, and he buried his face in the crook of Blaine's neck, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Blaine was quick to return the hug taking in the amazing fresh scent of Kurt's hair.

"Kurt… you're… That was…" he pulled back with a small laugh "You kind of left me speechless here…"

Kurt blushed again and shrugged as he smiled "Well, it's true…"

"I hope I do… I want to. I love your smile, and your laugh, and that sparkle in your eyes. And you'll make me happy, too. I'm positive."

"Oh God…" Kurt sighed, letting his head rest on Blaine's shoulder "I think we're doing it again… Going too fast."

"Well, at least we're not replacing words for almost sex…" Blaine offered "I don't want to rush things, Kurt, because I really like you and this… whatever this is… But… I'm just being honest."

"Yeah, me too." Kurt nodded "So…" he reached up to press his lips lightly against Blaine's "let's just buckle up and see where this road takes us… Just be honest and speak our minds. Deal?"

"Definitely!" Blaine grinned diving for a slow, lazy kiss. _These are very nice, too._

"And in the mean time, we should eat some brownies because they're baked to perfection."

"Oh! God, yes! Please!"

xXxXx

"Finn?" Kurt asked into the darkness of the bedroom.

"Yeah?"

"I think Blaine and I…"

"You're going to be together, get married, frolic in flowers and rainbows and have gay babies. Yes, I think that too."

"That wasn't exactly what I meant… but… that talk we had yesterday… You were right. Blaine gets me and I think I get him… And I guess it's just something really nice we have going on for now… but… I think I might fall in love with him one day. I really do."

"That's great, dude. I'm happy for you… I really do."

"And Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"I know you've been worried about Rachel… You shouldn't… You and Rachel are meant for each other, you'll be alright… Don't worry – you'll survive anything."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, you'll just have to work for it, the best things in life are never the easiest. You'll do fine with the long distance thing this year, and then you can move to New York, Finn, go to college… You're not a Lima loser, ok?"

"Ok." Finn sighed "Thanks, little bro."

"Finn."

"What?"

"I'm not your little bro."

xXxXx

Blaine opened Deirdre's bedroom door carefully, noticing the room was pitch dark. He smiled softly slipping inside and closing the door behind him. He walked carefully to the bed where he slowly slid under the covers, and wrapped an arm around his sister.

She stirred in her sleep "MmmBlaine?"

"Yeah…"

"How was your dinner?"

He had a hard time stifling his laughter – even half asleep she asked about his date "It was perfect."

"Really?"

"Yeah… I think… I think Kurt's gonna stick around for a while…"

"What you mean he's staying over for the rest of the summer, I thought he was going to leave next week?"

"No, silly…. I meant in my… in our lives. He's going to be sticking around."

"So you're boyfriends?"

"No, not yet." He kissed her forehead "But we will be…" he couldn't help being sure of that. Was it wise? No. Was it right? Yes. Yes, it was.

"When?"

"Soon." _Hopefully._

"That's great."

"It is?"

"Yeah, you two are really cute together."

"Yeah, thanks Deeds."

"Night, Blaine."

"Night, sweetie"


	11. Tackling

**Thank you for the reviews and everything else, you guys are the best! Here's some more beach for you guys.**

**I, on the other hand, will be returning to the city tomorrow. On one hand: access to internet, on the other,…. Hmmm, no… no disadvantages! Yay for going home! **

**Hey, I have a full week of them… I will accept challenges/suggestions for activities for them (no promises though… sorry) because I do have a few, but not enough for that whole time. So, by all means, give me prompts! (no smut, though… sorry – I imply it, but I can't write it)**

xXxXx

"Finn, get your ass out of the couch and come help me." Kurt shouted from the kitchen. He was pleased when Finn's heavy footsteps were audible.

"What?"

"Your mom called, and they'll be back in ten with lunch, and she asked us to set the table and make a salad."

"Oh, ok…" Finn nodded as he moved to grab plates from the cupboard "What's lunch?"

"Grilled fish…" Finn smiled broadly at this, and Kurt felt a sense of victory. Finally! It took coming to Portugal to find something entirely healthy that everyone in their household deemed delicious. This fish was really something else – so completely fresh that it almost tasted like the sea itself.

The boiled potatoes were done and he was going to start with the salad (having already prepared the most brilliant Spanish sauce ever for the fish) when Finn announced he was done setting the table. "What do you want me to do?"

Kurt frowned for a moment, wondering what he could trust Finn with… and then an evil glint took over his eyes. It was not what he could trust Finn with, it was what he could use Finn to avoid… "You can slice up the onions for the salad. You know how to do it, right?"

"Sure, I've seen you do it, dude. No problem."

Kurt grinned. _Oh, thank goodness, yes!_ Kurt had already had the opportunity to slice up some of the onions they'd bought – it hadn't been pretty. It had resembled one of Rachel's many solos –or maybe all of them put together. Pleased with himself Kurt picked up a knife from the drawer and set to slicing up the bread.

"Oh my God!" Finn nearly shouted after not more than a minute "My eyes!"

"What? What's wrong?" Kurt was trying not to laugh.

"It stings! I'm like… Crying! AWW! It's BURNING!" Finn dropped his knife on the spot, shooting towards the bathroom. Kurt was left behind chuckling to himself. _Oh, well, at least he got half of it done… he_ sighed picking up the knife and starting to slice the rest.

"Cheesus! Kurt!" Finn's voice shouted from the bathroom "Fuck! You knew it!" Kurt looked up to see Finn returning to the door, eyes red and puffy and tears still spilling out uncontrollably, holding up an accusatory finger towards Kurt "You told me to do it so you wouldn't have to do it! Shit, this hurts!"

Kurt suppressed his own laughter and was about to deny the horribly unfair accusation when _It doesn't matter if you love him or capital HIM _sounded from the top of the counter. He smiled and shot Finn a smirk, ignoring the sting in his own eyes.

"Hi!" he beamed as Finn was muttering and cursing, dipping his head under the sink tap and rubbing his eyes with cascades of water.

"Why, hello…" Blaine's voice came from the other side of the line.

"You're EVIL, Kurt, EVIL!" Finn grunted, whipping his face clean.

"What was that?"

"Oh, Finn's upset because I told him to slice up the onions for the salad and it burnt his eyes pretty bad so he's crying his eyeballs out… and he thinks I did it on purpose, so I wouldn't have to do it myself."

"Well, and didn't you?" Blaine's vice was highly amused.

"Preposterous accusations. I resent it!" Kurt scoffed.

Blaine laughed "My apologies. Hey, you're coming to the beach today, right?"

"Yeah, I think so, why?"

"Just making sure. Deeds would kill me if I didn't go with her today, but I really wanted to be with you, so…"

"Oh, right, well, don't worry – no dilemma, I'll see you at the beach."

"Great! Hey, the guys will be there, too. Brace yourselves."

"We will." Kurt chuckled.

"Hey, does your brother have a ball, a football ball?"

"Wait a sec… Hey FINN!"

"What is it, oh murderer of eyes?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, but couldn't help smirking, as he leant against the kitchen's doorframe eyeing Finn, laying on the couch, still rubbing at his eyes "Blaine's asking if you have a football ball."

"Yeah, why?"

"He does, why?"

"Tell him to bring it, maybe we could be a little more active than just sit there playing cards…" Blaine said easily "They have a volley ball, but this one gives me an excuse to tackle you to the ground."

Kurt felt his cheeks burn slightly and was quick to retreat to the kitchen "What if I refuse to play?"

"You want me to tackle you as much as I do." Blaine answered matter of factly, with a hint of a chuckle there.

"And what makes you think you'll be the one tackling?"

"Oh, I have absolutely no issues with you tackling me, Kurt…" Blaine was laughing "You can tackle me all you want, all. day. long…"

Kurt smiled to himself, hopping on top of the kitchen counter and musing "Careful what you wish for, I might just do it. I was on the football team on my sophomore year, you know. The only game the team won that season, it was because of me."

"Kurt." Blaine's voice was suddenly strangely deep, yet there was still the hint of a joke there, though. "Please tackle me."

Kurt let out a small laugh "Oh, and did I tell you? I was a cheerleader too… we won Nationals with me singing a fourteen minutes Celine Dion medley entirely in French, _while_ performing the choreography."

"Just… tackle me!"

"I thought we were taking it easy…?" Kurt teased.

"I… huh… right. Just…"

"Oh my, Blaine, do you need a dictionary?"

"Oh shut it, Kurt!" Blaine snapped and Kurt laughed gingerly.

"Sorry, it was just too funny."

"My sexual frustration is funny?"

"When it's because of me? You bet it is." Kurt let out a content sigh "Besides, you brought it upon yourself, you were the one who started going on and on about wanting to tackle me."

"Yeah, well…"

"Worry not, Blaine." Kurt smiled to himself, hopping off the counter to start pacing around the kitchen "At the risk of sounding terribly vulgar, you can trust me when I tell you I'll probably let you tackle me on purpose…"

"Ahh, so it's just as bad over there?" Kurt could _hear _the smile on the other end of the line.

"You have no idea, Blaine… You can honestly tackle me as ha-"

"LUNCH HAS ARRIVED!"

"Aaaaaandmy dad is here, gotta go. Tack- Huh – _see_ you later."

He heard Blaine's laughter for a second just as he turned around, turning off the phone, to face Carole and Burt carrying a whole lot of bags, face scorching red.

"Who was that?" Burt asked quietly as he put down his bags

"Blaine…" Kurt muttered as he moved to grab the salad bowl and take towards the dining table.

"What was that? I didn't hear…!" But called after him.

"It was Blaine!" Finn said from the couch, before shooting Kurt a vindictive glare "and they were practically having-"

"A very heated debate over who was worse, Bush senior or junior." Kurt nearly screamed.

"It was heated alright…" Finn muttered under his breath.

Burt shot him a frown but chose to ignore it with a heavy sigh before turning to Kurt "Well, about him… What's going on with you two, Kurt? Are you dating?"

"Huh… we're going on dates… yeah. I guess." Kurt nodded, trying to busy himself as much as he could (by this point he was jut rearranging the silverware to perfection) so he didn't have to look at his father.

"Alright, and do you think it'll go anywhere…?"

"It's a bit early to tell, dad." He muttered as Carole finished bringing in the food and told Finn to sit at the table.

"Well, if you had to guess." Burt pressed.

"If I had to guess I would say I'll do my best to keep in touch when we leave, and I suppose… we'll be boyfriends…" he said that last part so under his breath that everyone strained their necks to catch it.

"Sorry?"

"Oh, for goodness' sake! I want him to be my boyfriend." Kurt sighed, giving up on any hope of them dropping the subject "In time, I want him to. I know I barely know him, but I've never felt this comfortable with anyone, and I suppose that's a good sign… We talked about it last night and he feels the same way, so… I guess, it _will _go somewhere, dad. I don't think this is just a summer fling."

"Alright, then." Burt smiled "Just remember this is a family vacation, so easy on the dates, but huh… good luck with it – he seems like a fine young man."

"Huh… right, thanks dad."

"And… huh… be careful, too. Don't… huh… just… don't get caught in the heat of the moment and… huh… do something you might regret…" Burt was cringing all the way through his words.

"Dad…" Kurt looked at Burt with a stern glare "we're **not** having this conversation right now. Seriously, another word and I'll stick my fingers up my years and start singing."

"It's just, I feel, as a parent I should tell you that the first-"

Burt was interrupted as Finn broke into a coughing fit, choking on his food.

"Finn, eat like a person, please. You're not a caveman." Carole reprimanded her son with a heavy sigh as Burt slapped his back in an attempt to help.

"Sorry…" Finn panted out "wrong pipe…"

For once Kurt was grateful for Finn's not so coincidental timing.

xXxXx

When Kurt and Finn arrived to the beach that afternoon (yes, Kurt had left the house before five p.m.! Shocking, I know!), it wasn't hard to find the large group of friends – most of them standing in a circle and playing with their volley ball. Only a few of the girls remained sitting on the towels, Deirdre amidst them, talking excitedly. So, if Deirdre was there… Kurt looked around but he couldn't see Blaine anywhere.

"Hey, Deeds…" Kurt smiled as he dropped his things next to what he identified as Blaine's towel "Hey, Pipa, Mafalda, Meg…"

"Hi!" they smiled in unison.

"Where's-UNHF!" All wind was knocked out of him as he could barely register anything happening at all, before he was falling hard on the sand, a pair of strong arms around him. It all happened so fast that it was only when he was on the ground that he felt the cold water seeping through his clothes. He gasped at the temperature drenching him, and as he did he could hear Blaine's laughter. He wriggled beneath his hold to face him and Blaine let go of the embrace to hold himself a few inches above, hovering on top of Kurt, one hand on each side of Kurt's head. Water dripping off his wet curls. "Heart attack, Blaine!"

Blaine laughed again, pecking him quickly on the lips before retreating back up, only creating enough distance so he could shake his head, sending bucket loads of water flying around him, including Kurt's face, who yelped and pushed him off of himself "Hi!" he panted from where he'd let himself collapse next to Kurt, now sitting up and inspecting his nearly soaked T-shirt.

"Don't even dare talk to me!" Kurt glared at him "My shirt!" he cried.

"It'll live…" Blaine chuckled, reaching out and pulling it over Kurt's head and arms in one swift motion before he could even register what was happening.

"What're you doing?" he gasped, his heart suddenly racing even more.

"You got sand all over me, I need to go wash it out." Blaine's voice was cheerful and filled with evil undertones as he wrapped his arms around Kurt once more, and, somehow, managed to throw him over his shoulder.

"What –OH NO WAY!" Kurt screeched. He didn't really care that he pretty much sounded like a hyper active banshee "PUT ME DOWN!"

"You got sand on me, so you're helping me get it out." Blaine's tone remained calm and relaxed as he continued to walk towards the sea, all the while Kurt continued to flail, kick and screech.

"I did **NOT**! PUT ME DOWN! I SWEAR TO GOD!"

"All this screaming and fighting is not helping you…" Blaine smiled calmly, water already lapping at his ankles and he didn't so much as flinch at the temperature as he kept walking "It's just making it funnier."

"IT'S NOT FUNNY! BLAINE!"

"Your brother thinks it's funny." Blaine pointed out as they could still hear the laughter from everyone who'd stopped playing volley to watch Kurt's impending doom.

"My brother's an IDIOT! PUT ME DOWN!" Kurt regretted it as soon as he'd said it.

"Ok…" Blaine sighed happily as he dropped Kurt on the spot. He was engulfed in icy cold waves in a matter of nanoseconds. But, just as quickly, he felt a strong, firm hand grabbing his forearm and pulling him up. He scrambled to his feet, trying to look as dignified as possible shaking his hair out of his eyes to glare at Blaine who'd just now let go of his arm.

"I hate you."

"You don't." He smiled "Now we're even…"

"Even? When did I ever throw you into ice cold water?" Kurt shot him a glare as he started to walk back towards the sand.

"Our first date, when you made me surrender…" Blaine called after him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You started that one too! You threw a handful of sand at my hair!" Kurt rolled his eyes without even bothering to look back at Blaine.

"Like this one?" was all Kurt heard before he felt the harsh impact of wet sand on his bare back. He stopped dead on his tracks before turning slowly around to find Blaine smirking. He squinted his eyes and shook his head ever so slightly.

"Big mistake…" he muttered, before launching himself, and in a few strides he was successfully tackling Blaine to the ground, or else, to the water.

They kept at it for what was probably five minutes, throwing sand and water at each other, pushing the other's face into the ice cold water, tackling each other into the water… They were panting and gasping for air when Kurt finally gasped "Truce?"

Blaine merely nodded with a half smile as he was gulfing for air. With a relieved smile Kurt started towards the sand, Blaine in tow. They were already halfway towards the towels when he felt Blaine's arms wrapping around his waist. He prepared himself for anything, but there was nothing. It took Kurt a moment to realize Blaine was just hugging him. _Just_ hugging. As Blaine's chin came to rest on his shoulder he turned his head to look at Blaine and meet those amazing hazel eyes.

"Hi…" Blaine smiled.

"You're an idiot." Kurt scoffed, turning his head back around, but he was quick to hold Blaine's arms in place, wrapping his own over them. They let go of their embrace as they reached the towels, and both had to rearrange their own. Everyone was returning to their previous activities as they laid down next to each other, on their stomachs. Blaine folded his arms beneath his chin and smiled broadly.

"You came early, today."

"And it was a mistake, apparently."

"Never!"

"You just threw me in the water and tried to drown me like fifty times!"

"I did not! It was all done in self defense!" Blaine laughed before adding in a half whisper "And you were the one who said I could tackle you as hard as I wanted…"

"I never said that."

"Because your dad interrupted you. We both know it was what you were gonna say." He smirked, triumphant, wiggling closer "But if it makes you feel any better, I _want _you to tackle me as hard as you can, too."

Kurt giggled and turned to lay on his back, closing his eyes and folding one arm beneath his head "We'll see…" He felt Blaine's hands taking his own as they started playing carefully with his fingers "Being adorable will get you nowhere."

He heard as Blaine chuckled and moved even closer to lay his head on Kurt's shoulder. After a while in silence Blaine raised his head to look at Kurt "Hey…" Kurt opened one eye, squinting against the sun "You know I'm kidding, right?"

"About?"

"The whole tackling thing… It's a joke. I know we talked about it yesterday, I don't wanna freak you out or anything, I'm kidding. I mean, I do want to, but…"

"Blaine…" Kurt threw his head back with a soft chuckle "Relax, I get it. Don't worry…"

Blaine smiled broadly before dipping to kiss Kurt, slow and lazy, propped on one elbow and moving his other hand to run light fingers through Kurt's damp hair. After a few moments he felt Kurt's hand push against his shoulder and broke the kiss with a questioning look.

"Huh… sorry…" Kurt muttered "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course!" Blaine settled back to look expectantly at Kurt, still on his side, propped on one elbow.

"Huh… How's Portugal… with the… gay thing?"

Blaine seemed surprised by the question at first but quickly understood "Oh, huh, right. It's… ok. I guess. Could be better, but you won't get anyone calling you… certain words in the middle of the street or anything. I think it was less than two years ago that they passed a law to allow gay marriage, but, to tell you the truth, the only reason it passed was because the vote was only in parliament…" he sighed "But, anyway, it's taboo. People don't really talk that much about it, and while they don't really embrace it, or even accept it, they keep their homophobia pretty silent or reduced to small jokes in conversations."

Kurt nodded silently, turning on his side to look directly at Blaine "And it doesn't bother you that most people on this beach are probably judging us? Even if they're not yelling out slurs at us…? Even if they're just doing it behind our backs…?"

He sighed, chewing quietly on his lip before looking right at Kurt's clear blue eyes "I'm not your ex, Kurt. I'm out, and I'm proud. I'm not going to hide you… or us. I'm not planning on ever going back to the closet in _any_ way. You don't have to be scared to show we're together in public… not while you're with me…" Blaine smiled and brushed a stray strand of hair from Kurt's forehead "The days when I tried to hide it and conform myself to belong are long gone. If I have to change myself to fit into society then I'm not sure that's a society I want to live in. Of course it gets me down some times, but why waste my energy caring about that every waking minute of my life? They can look and judge all they want, but at the end of the day I'll still be thinking about you, probably in not so innocent ways too, and no one can change that. So I'd very much rather enjoy my day having fun with you, and not worrying about what everyone on this beach thinks about it. I'm not going to waste any time on something I have absolutely no control over. _This_ is much better use of my time." He smirked and winked slightly.

Kurt leaned closer and brushed their noses together "Thank you."

"For what…?" Blaine's smirk was replaced by a slight frown.

"I just… I've always felt so alone – I mean, I knew I wasn't the one who was wrong, and I would and will never change myself for anyone, but, still… I just felt alone in thinking I shouldn't have to hide _it_, ever. You're the first person I've ever met who isn't afraid to stand tall despite everyone else..."

Blaine's smile was tight and somewhat forced as his hand came to rest on Kurt's hip, thumb rubbing at his skin "I'm… sorry."

"For what? For not coming into my life earlier?" Kurt almost laughed.

"Well, kind of, yeah…" Blaine shrugged quietly. This time Kurt really did chuckle before leaning forward capturing Blaine's lips with his own, feeling the other boy's smile under his kiss. Kurt's head was reeling. For the first time in his life he was kissing another boy in a public space, and the other boy was not only comfortable with it, but he actually wanted Kurt to, tugging him closer, wrapping his arms around his torso, intertwining their legs. For the first time in his life he was allowed to show affection, and he was getting it back, too. His heart was swelling and soaring to all new heights – he couldn't be happier. He was so happy that, in some kind of weird paradox, he almost forgot they were in the middle of a crowded beach, mid-afternoon. In his mind there was only Blaine and their kiss.

It was only when a ball landed on his back that he was brought back to the outside world, pulling back from the kiss, looking around for the source of the disruption. He found the group of teenagers, Finn amongst them, doubled over in laughter and Pipa was holding out an apologetic hand, as she couldn't quite bring her voice to comply and articulate words – instead squealing with laughter.

Blaine wiggled carefully from under Kurt, shooting a glare, halfway between annoyed and amused, at the group. He went to pick up the ball, but as he did he noticed Finn's Football ball and picked it up instead "Hey, what about this?" he held it high.

Kurt frowned slightly pulling Blaine's hand as he was walking by. Blaine glanced at Kurt "What?" he asked after he threw them the ball.

"I… huh… just…" Kurt didn't really know how to put it. _How do you say 'I thought we were having a good time kind of making out, and why do you want to stop that?' without sounding pathetically insecure?_

Blaine didn't need Kurt to say it though, reading his blush fairly easily, he crouched next to Kurt in a second, smiling and almost laughing as he shook his head "It's not like that…"

"What… what then?"

"It's just… if we kept at it for a bit longer I would've needed to go for a dive quite soon…" he blushed slightly "Last night is still a bit vivid in my head, Kurt…"

"Oh…. OH! OK… Yeah… Let's… let's play." _Shit, Kurt, you didn't think about that, did you? Good thing one of you has a brain, otherwise you'd be in a pretty embarrassing position (almost literally, too) in a few minutes…_

In ten minutes they were playing it as hardcore as they could – even the girls seemed fearless as they dove, trying to tackle the boys. Blaine, mostly as a joke than anything else, was making good on his promise to try to tackle Kurt as much as possible (always sneaking a short, though firm kiss before getting back up and helping the other boy up as well) and Kurt was making good on his promise of letting Blaine tackle him on purpose. Either that or he was just really lousy at football, and no one was_ that_ lousy.

When Deirdre, who Blaine had told to sit out because she could get hurt, complained she wanted to play Finn convinced Blaine to let him try something. "You're my arms, better work it!" he told her as he held her close to his chest, before starting to run once more. He would yell "Catch it! CATCH!" or "THROW IT NOW!", and when they would succeed he would throw her in the air and catch her in celebration.

"Finn's amazing…" Blaine panted, doubled over, hands on his knees, as he stopped for a moment next to Kurt who was still laying on the sand, trying to recover from a particularly surprising tackle from JD "I think I'm gonna steal him… I need him."

"I'm jealous…" Kurt was also panting as he squinted to look up at Blaine, the sun right behind his head.

"Don't be. I only want him as a babysitter."

"They always say that…" Kurt grunted as he pushed himself to sit up "But they always screw the nannies."

Blaine burst out laughing "Trust me. He's so not my type." He offered a hand to Kurt.

"No?" Kurt smirked taking Blaine's hand to get up, but instead he tugged him down with a laugh, and Blaine came crashing right next to Kurt who was quick to scramble away.

"No…" he sighed, sitting up and brushing the sand off his skin "apparently I like them mean and backstabbing." He called after Kurt who let out a bark of laughter and only glance over his shoulder for a second.

After a while no one could really run anymore and they gave up on trying to play anything, as they would spend more time on the sand trying to recover and regain some kind of energy instead of actually playing. Having returned to the towels the guitar was out and they'd resumed to jamming like the other day. Kurt was singing along happily to 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' (also noticing how Blaine's voice was killing the song in the best way possible) when he spotted his dad and Carole setting their things down a few feet away. He waved as he met their eyes and they waved back with easy smiles. He didn't notice as Blaine looked over, and quickly stood up and started gesturing.

"What are you doing?" he frowned.

"Telling them to come over…" Blaine shrugged.

"What? No!"

"Why not...? Kurt, they came here to spend these days as a family, it's not exactly fair that they barely get to be with you two." Blaine said without looking at Kurt, still smiling and waving them over. With slightly confused smiles the two adults picked up their things and walked over.

"Hi, Mr. Hummel" Blaine smiled taking Burt's hand "Mrs. Hummel."

"Blaine, how are you?"

"Brilliant. Would you care to join us?"

"Oh, sweetie, that's alright, we wouldn't want to spoil your fun!"

"Yes, Blaine, they wouldn't want that!" Kurt's smile was as fake as Pam Anderson's breasts.

"I hardly think you'd spoil anything, please!" Blaine kept his charming smile on, not even sparing a glance towards Kurt.

"If you insist…" Carole shrugged.

"He doesn't."

"I do." Blaine kicked Kurt ever so slightly, keeping his warm gaze over Carole and Burt as they set their things down only a little apart from the rest of the group who was still cheerfully singing "Hey guys, these are Kurt and Finn's parents…"

Everyone waved and smiled eagerly before turning back to their music.

"So, how are you liking Portugal?" Blaine's polite conversational tone was almost surreal in the middle of all the madness. Everyone around them was practically shouting as they sang, completely out of tune, screwing up so much it was probably in purpose, and yet, there was Blaine, his full attention on Carole and Burt, the most charming of smiles on his face and voice impossibly calm and polite. _How is he even real?_

"It's beautiful! It's a pity we'll only have one more week…" Carole sighed.

"Oh, that's right… When are you heading back, by the way? If I'm not protruding…"

"Oh, of course not, honey. We'll be heading out… today is Tuesday, right? Hum… Our flight is next Friday…"

"Oh, alright. Have you ever been to Lisbon?"

"Huh, no, not actually. We just got out of the airport, asked where we could find a car rental service and took a cab there."

"Well, if you'd like I could show you around a little bit."

"Oh, our flight isn't very early, so we _would _have some time to kill… but still."

"I have a house there – well my grandma does – but you could stay for the night, if you wanted and we could go a day early, so you could get a bit of sightseeing in before your flight."

"But are you… Do you need to go to Lisbon or…?"

"Oh, I was planning on seeing you off, actually… I think Deeds would die if she didn't get her romantic scene with Finn at the airport…"

"Seeing us off, as in… driving to Lisbon just to say goodbye at the airport?" Burt frowned.

"Yeah." Blaine smiled.

"Really?" Carole, Burt and Kurt were in perfect harmony as their faces turned to stare at Blaine with confusion and surprise.

"Of course… Why wouldn't I?"

"Because it's a two hour drive, and I'm sure you could find better use for that time and the gas money…"

Blaine chuckled "Every single year I spend two months and a half here on holidays with nothing to do but take care of Deeds and go to the beach, I have plenty of time to spare… And gas isn't a problem. So, think about it, and let me know. I'd be more than happy to show you around Lisbon."

"Oh, he's a keeper!" Carole winked at Kurt and he wanted to go hide in a deep dark whole, but Blaine merely chuckled politely with his infuriatingly charming smile unfaltering.

"That's a generous offer, Blaine." Burt said slowly "Are you sure your parents or your grandparents wouldn't mind you taking off to Lisbon like that…?"

"My parents are back in New York, and my grandma wouldn't mind at all. I do it every other weekend anyway… Beach is really nice and all, but two months and a half of only beach can be a little tiring. So, it's really _no _trouble at all. Let me know."

"Alright… we'll let you know." Burt nodded carefully "In the mean time, why don't you join us for dinner tonight?"

Kurt stared at his father with wide murderous eyes. Was everyone just trying to make him uncomfortable?

"I… Yes, that would be lovely. If it's not imposing."

"Not at all!" Carole smiled cheerfully.

"Alright, I'll just have to go drop Deeds off first, but…"

"Oh, she can come, too!" Carole clapped her hands "It's been so long since I've been around kids! They grow up so fast…!"

"Yes, yes, they do." Blaine nodded in agreement "And I'm sure she'd be thrilled to join her future parents-in-law for dinner, but I really should warn you she can get a little tiring after a while. She's all cute now, but more than an hour or two of it and it's not so cute anymore."

"Oh, I doubt it!" Carole smiled "I love kids!"

"Hey!" Kurt pointed a wary finger at her "No little brothers for me, thank you very much!"

They all chuckled and Burt shook his head "Oh, she can love 'em all she wants, but I had my fair share with this one, so I'm with him."

"What do you mean you had your fair share with me? I was an excellent kid! I always helped you out with everything, I cooked, I never got into trouble at school, great grades…"

"Oh, and the loud music, the hour long shower concerts, all the…"

"Alright, dad, we get it! You're right!"

"Oh but, Kurt!" Blaine smirked laying a careful hand on Kurt's shoulder "Your dad might want to talk it out." He turned to Burt with an easy smile "Please do!"

Burt laughed as Kurt shot him the deadliest of glares "Well… I was half kidding, Kurt was a pretty great kid, to tell you the truth. When he wasn't fussing over his clothes… or… ahah, there was this one time I accidentally shrunk one of his sweaters when I was doing some laundry… You should have seen his face! He was so red! It looked like he was about to burst – you could boil an egg on his forehead!"

Kurt rolled his eyes and locked his jaw, trying to remain as stoic as he cook as Blaine chuckled along with Burt and Carole.

"But I think nothing will ever beat that one time he was trying to be straight, and he spent almost a week wearing flannel plaid shirts, baseball caps and singing and listening to Mellencamp." Kurt was sending him all kinds of glares – if looks could kill "It's even funnier because it wasn't that long ago!"

Blaine turned to look at Kurt "Mellencamp? Flannel?"

Kurt held his head high and tried to look as dignified as he could "I'm not a box, there are more than four sides to me." He shrugged.

"AH!" Finn's voice cut through their laughter and Kurt almost cringed at what he was sure would be bad "That's what you said to Mr. Schue when you sang Pink Houses! It was awesome!"

"Awesome, heh?" Blaine turned to Kurt with a challenging smile "Care for a reprise?"

Kurt considered his options very carefully. So carefully that you could almost see the wheels turning. "Alright… Can_ you_ play it?"

"I can!" Burt said, and everyone turned their heads, frowning.

"You play the guitar?" Kurt frowned.

"I used to serenade your mother… Granted, my repertoire consists basically of Mellencamp, Springsteen… some Bryan Adams, if you're lucky… but, I can play some tunes, the simple ones. My best buddy in high school played it and he taught me a few songs…" he shrugged and smiled "Hand it over! I'd like nothing more than to play as you sing, Kurt."

Kurt's embarrassment and anger disappeared almost completely and at once as he looked at his father with suddenly warm eyes "Alright… You can play it…"

"Ok… Let just get the hang of it…" Burt muttered, trying his fingers on the strings and plucking at them slightly. While Burt fiddled with the guitar Kurt watched him, silent, smiling softly. Blaine's laughter had subsided and he'd now resumed to bite his lip, eyes shifting between Kurt and Burt, feeling the affection of them wash over him. Normally he wouldn't have done it, because, hey, Burt was Kurt's father, and usually Blaine did have a very strict sense of decorum, but he couldn't help it. Let's just say his arm had a will of its own as it wrapped itself around Kurt's torso, pulling him close, letting Kurt's back rest against his chest.

Kurt glanced backwards to find Blaine smiling at him, and he returned it before reaching up for a quick kiss.

"Alright!" Burt laughed "Let's get this show on the road!" He started playing and Kurt straightened himself just slightly, not wanting to escape Blaine's strong embrace.

"_There's a black man, with a black cat, living in a black neighborhood_…" Kurt could feel Blaine quietly laughing against his back, and he knew he should be feeling ridiculous, but all he cared about at the moment was that he was singing, and his dad was playing and singing along too, _with him_, while he sat in a beautiful beach with his family and a pretty much amazing group of people who only cared about how much fun they were having, and wouldn't give a rat's ass that he was sitting against Blaine, with his arm around him, Blaine's thumb drawing circles around his hipbone and his nose buried in the crook of Kurt's neck.

There was a loud and joyful applause at the end and Burt was encouraged to play some more, but Kurt let Finn take the singing lead on those, because Pink Houses was pretty much his entire Rock repertoire. They'd been at it for a while, Kurt still relaxing against Blaine's embrace when Blaine kissed his ear lightly and whispered "Wanna go for a walk?"

Kurt twisted slightly to look at him "Sure…" he smiled before getting up and helping Blaine up as well. The shorter boy picked up his guitar from its case, where it had been resting as everyone was using António's, and smiled "We're going for a walk… call me if you need anything."

Carole nodded grinning and Kurt rolled his eyes at her, even if he couldn't help smiling a little himself.

It was almost seven thirty so the beach was close to empty and the sun was low and golden, casting its light over the sea and sand in the most beautiful way. They were walking slowly with the water softly lapping at their ankles.

"You can pull Mellencamp surprisingly well." Blaine bumped his shoulder playfully against Kurt's.

"I only sang it because of my dad… Honestly, that week… not my best moment." Kurt frowned slightly "I was having a hard time… Sophomore year… my dad had just started dating Carole and suddenly he was hanging out with Finn and bonding over football and everything I never did have in common with him. It just made me so painfully aware of how little I had in common with my dad… I got a little jealous and I thought that maybe if I _tried_ I could… I don't really know what I was thinking. I just wanted to be the son my father had always wanted."

"Oh, disappointed parents…? I'd know about that… but to tell you the truth, Kurt, I don't think there's one thing about you that's disappointing to your dad… the way he was looking at you just now…"

"Oh, trust me, I _know_ that. After my little Mellencamp stunt, which, surprise-surprise, didn't work, I knew that… We talked, and he told me that. I don't know what I was thinking, honestly! I was just insecure and afraid to lose the one person in my life that… meant everything to me. But, then there I was, in the middle of the school corridor, dressed in plaid flannel and a baseball cap, and my dad was still going out with Finn to a ball game, or whatever, and not me… And I couldn't do it anymore, I couldn't pretend. That day… That was the day I promised myself I would never change for anyone, because I knew that if anyone was ever going to love me, it would be for I am, and not who I thought they wanted me to be."

Blaine half chuckled "It took me a lot longer to figure that out… I only gave up the role playing games when I graduated high school – that was my turning point." he sighed "My dad wasn't very happy when I came out, and I played along with his many attempts at trying to make me straight_er_… But I just… at some point I had to draw a line, you know? I haven't spoken to him in almost a year… Huh… more than a year actually" he frowned "It was when I enrolled in NYU… He wanted me to go to law school. Follow in his footsteps… I refused." He shrugged.

"Oh, I didn't… you're not on speaking terms with your dad? Oh, wow… That's… That's… fuck."

"Yeah… He's a normal person… kind of a good man, actually. Never did anything awful, per se… But he's a lousy father. I had it worse, but Tom and Deeds don't really have it much better than me, anyway. He barely ever calls… My mom, she makes an effort, I got give it to her on that level, but she's always so busy with work… Hey, at least she doesn't want to turn me straight." Blaine shrugged before grimacing and half chuckling "Oh God! It sounds awfully depressing when you say it out loud… doesn't it?"

Kurt nodded silently.

"It's not that bad…" he shrugged "It really isn't! It sounds so much worse than it is… I'm pretty happy actually – I'm pretty sure I got everything I need, and _most _of what I want… I'm good. I think I've gotten to a good place in my life…" he nodded to himself and smiled broadly "I mean, what more can you want than this?" he twirled around spreading his arms and throwing his head back to look at the purpling sky.

"There you go again, trying to escape the hard stuff…" Kurt muttered, but he was careful to keep his tone easy and light.

Blaine chuckled "I promise I'm not. Not this time."

"Ok, then…"

"I really _am_ happy. I've got plenty of reasons to be happy. And one more as of this week." Blaine laughed and Kurt shook his head smiling to himself quietly "Hey, let's sit…" he took a seat at a rock, keeping his feet splashing gently at the water, and Kurt sat by his side.

"Well then… I'll take your word for it." Kurt shrugged and sighed contently "I'm pretty happy myself, as well…"

"Oh dammit!"

"What?"

"We're not gonna have one of those tearful moments in the rain!" Blaine whined "You know, one of those epic heartbroken speeches!"

Kurt laughed and shook his head "Somehow, I think we'll live."

Blaine beamed and started playing with his guitar, randomly picking at the strings at first, until settling something more concrete.

"_It's seventy two degrees… zero chance of rain… it's been a perfect day…_"

"Oh, no…!" Kurt laughed and Blaine shrugged and continued.

"_I don't really know the words, I'm gonna try to wing it… let's see-ee-he! There was something about the sun… and then the line about them having something, yeah!_" Blaine was practically in stitches as Kurt shook with laughter beside him "_And if this is what we've got, then what we've got is gold… We're shining bright and I want you, I want you to know… The moon it's on tis way_, _our friends all say goodbye, there's nowhere else to go, I hope that you'll stay the night!_" he slapped his guitar a few times to make a rhythm and Kurt continued to laugh but started to clap along keeping a steady pace "_Oh oh oh, you'll stay the night… Yeah!" he laughed "I'm not that good at this, but I'm trying to get a kiii-ii-iss, hey I made a rhyme just now, though I know that it was bad… And I should just quit making a fool of myself… But you're right here laughing, and it's mind blowing, it feels amazing, that I'm the one doing it… And if this is what we've got, then what we've got is gold! We're shining bright and I want you, I want you to know… Oh oh oh, please stay the night!_" Blaine held up his hands "I give! I can't! I wasn't cut out for songwriting…" he laughed.

"Oh, that was the best and worst thing I've ever witnessed." Kurt managed between laughs "Your attempt at serenading me was truly something else."

"That bad, huh?"

Kurt waited until his laughter had subsided before reaching forward and kissing Blaine, his left hand coming to pull Blaine closer. He smiled sweetly as he pulled back only enough to look into Blaine's amazingly golden eyes "It was _absolutely_ ridiculous, Blaine."

Blaine threw his head back in laughter "And here I was thinking you were gonna say it'd been perfect…"

"It was perfect too… Perfectly ridiculous." Kurt shrugged.

"Oh, well… at least I tried… I guess I'll just have to pick a song I know the words to next time."

"I guess you will."

"_Or_… you could serenade _me_."

Kurt cocked an eyebrow before frowning just slightly, keeping a smile on his lips "I can't play the guitar…" he muttered.

"Your voice is beautiful enough to carry its own weight…" Blaine shrugged before settling his head on Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt bit his lip, trying to keep his smile from becoming unreasonably large, as he wrapped an arm around Blaine's shoulders, pulling him as close as possible. "_it's five o'clock in the morning… conversation got boring… you said you'd go into bed soon, so I snuck off to your bedroom, and I thought I'd just wait there, till I heard you come up the stairs, and I pretend that I was sleeping, and I was hoping you would creep in with me. _

_Put your arm around my shoulder, and it was as if the room got colder, and we move closer in together, and started talkin' about the weather… You said tomorrow would be fun, and we could watch a Place in the Sun. I didn't know where this was going, when you kissed me… _

_Are you mine? Are you mine? Cuz I stay here all the time, watching telly drinking wine… Who'd've known, who'd've known, when you flash upon my phone I no longer feel alone… no longer feel alone… I haven't left here for days now, and I'm becoming amazed how you're quite affectionate in public, in fact your friend said it made her feel sick. And even though it's moving forward, it's just right amount of awkward, and today you accidently… called me baby. _

_Are you mine? Are you mine? Cuz I stay here all the time, watching telly, drinking wine… Who'd've known, who'd've known, when you flash upon my phone I no longer feel alone, no longer feel alone… Let's just stay, let's just stay, I wanna lie in bed all day, we'll be laughing all the way; told your friends, they don't know, we exist but we're taking it slow, let's just see how it goes, let's see how it goes… _

_Are you mine? Are you mine? Cuz I stay here all the time, watching telly, drinking wine… Who'd've known, who'd've known, when you flash upon my phone I no longer feel alone, no longer feel alone… Let's just stay, let's just stay, I wanna lie in bed all day, we'll be laughing all the way, told your friends, they don't know, we exist but we're taking it slow, let's just see how it goes, let's see how it goes…_"

"That was amazing…" Blaine sighed after a moment in silence.

"Really?"

"Yeah… I've never had anyone sing to me before…" Blaine pulled back from where he'd been resting his head against the crook of Kurt's neck "It feels amazing."

Kurt smiled just as warmly before pressing their lips together.

"I would've never pegged you as a Lilly Allen fan, though…" Blaine frowned a little as he pulled back and Kurt couldn't help laughing at the totally random comment.

xXxXxXx

**Songs mentioned: Stay the night – James Blunt and Who'd Have Know – Lilly Allen. I feel like they describe them exactly. Which is why I wrote Lilly Allen's lyrics . they are a perfect fit for their situation.**

**Tootles!**


	12. Eat Your Soup

**Ok, this time I won't apologize for how long it took me to update, nor how long it will take me to update. You want to know why? Because I'm a little busy getting myself a boyfriend! Eheheh! Indeed I am about to start something…, he's a friend of a very good friend of mine and it has been established that he's into me and I'm into him and we're about to spend a full week at a friend's house (a house you're actually familiar with since I've described it before in this fic, ahahaha, guess which…?) with a bunch of friends (again, with whom you might be familiar with… *whistles innocently*) and I'm pretty damned excited because something will most probably happen! He's really cute and sooo freaking nice, and he's in the military academy, so you know what that means? In shape and in uniform (don't deny it girls, boys in uniform are hot!)!**

**So here's my reason for not updating so soon because for once MY life is more interesting than my stories, ehehe!**

**Anyway: enjoy!**

**Ps.: I'm still open for ideas or suggestions for stuff for them to do at the beach (or not necessarily at the beach)**

xXxXx

"The food is excellent, Mrs. Hummel."

"Sweetie, please call me Carole. Mrs. Hummel makes it sound like you're talking about Burt's mother." Carole smiled.

"Well, then, Carole, the food is excellent." Blaine half chuckled.

"Why, thank you, Blaine."

"Yeah, Carole! Tastes awesome!" Deirdre beamed, between mouthfuls. Blaine frowned and turned to his sister with a scowl.

"Chew and swallow before you speak, Deeds." Everyone stifled their laughter at the pout Blaine received in exchange.

"So, Blaine, what do your parents do?" Burt leaned forward ever so slightly.

"They're both lawyers, sir. My father's head of the legal department of the company that creates all the software for ATM's, which is kind of a big deal apparently… and my mom works as a senior associate at a very renowned firm." He answered almost mechanically, Anyone else might have had a hint of pride or gloating in their voice, but Blaine just _said_ it.

"Oh!" Carole had a hard time keeping the surprise from her voice "That's… huh… that's nice."

"They like it." Blaine shrugged noncommittally "What about you, Mr. Hummel, what do you do? Oh, no, wait! Kurt told me already, huh, you own a garage, right?"

"Huh-huh, I run my own small business. It's not very fancy, but hey, I like it." Burt smiled and Kurt knew his father was trying to excuse his modest professional life, why he felt the need to do such a thing was beyond Kurt, though, especially since Blaine had been pretty much obvious in the fact that his parents' jobs had never really brought him any joy whatsoever.

"What do you do in a garage?" Deirdre frowned.

Burt chuckled "I fix cars. I'm a mechanic."

"Oh, ok! What about you, Carole, what do you do?"

"I'm a nurse." She smiled "I help sick people at the Hospital…"

"That's cool!"

"It is! What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Oh, I wanted to be a dancer, but mom and dad said that was unrealistic – which I'm not really sure what means – so, I don't know, yet. Is being a painter realistic?" she turned to her brother with expectant eyes.

Kurt could see Blaine's tight expression, beneath one of those charming smiles, Kurt could _see _it – the hurt in his eyes – and he wanted nothing but to reach out and take him away, let him talk, say anything he wanted to. But he couldn't and instead had to watch as Blaine's smile looked almost genuine, and it almost reached his eyes, unfaltering. _This_ was what he'd talked about, _this_ was the mask he had to put on everyday for that little girl.

Blaine told her in a calm, reassured voice "If it exists then it's real. If it's real, I'm quite sure it's realistic."

Burt and Carole exchanged confused glances but said nothing.

"Painter?" Finn grinned "You like to paint?"

"And draw!" she answered happily "I'm getting better at it, too! My teacher says I'm talented!"

"So do I." Blaine nudged her shoulder affectionately.

"Yeah, but you don't count…"

"I don't?"

"No, you're my brother, you have to like everything I do." She shrugged as if she was explaining that water boils at a hundred degrees Celsius.

Everyone let a small bark of laughter and Blaine pressed his lips tightly, frowning and contemplating what he should say next. "Alright then, next time you're pestering me about my opinion I shall remind you of this, shall I?"

"But it's true!"

Kurt chuckled lightly before leaning over to look at Deirdre "Honey, Finn's my brother and I'm constantly telling him I hate his… huh… everything. Trust me, your brother's opinion is pretty damn valuable."

She looked thoughtful for a moment, frowning and chewing on her lip, before turning to Blaine "But you think I'm talented, right?"

"Yes."

"Awesome!" She beamed. He laughed at her and shook his head calmly, returning to his plate. "There was a time I wanted to be a pony, though… I was really little and Blaine told me that it wasn't really a job and I couldn't just become a pony, so I changed my mind."

There was another round of laughter through the table. Dinner continued mostly in the same fashion, as Deirdre entertained them all with her stellar wisdom, and every once in a while embarrassed Blaine with one or two childhoods stories (though Blaine gave as good as he got, if not better – taking into account he had much more stories to tell).

"So, what beaches have you been to?" Blaine asked, trying to take the conversation away from his eleventh birthday party and the very terrible moment he'd decided it was better to 'blow' the candles out with a bucket full of water.

"Oh, just this one."

"Really? Are you… You should try some of the others – there are much better beaches. Granted you have to drive there, and they don't have lifeguards, but if you don't risk it too much, there's really no reason why that should be a problem. If you came in from Lisbon then I'm 99% sure you passed through them on the road… you know, that really thin and winding road…"

"Oh, right, right!" Burt said "I bet there are car crashes over there nearly every day."

Blaine shrugged slightly "I don't think so… Never saw one.. just a flat tire, once… Anyway, I think I have a map somewhere in the house, I'll give it to Kurt tomorrow and signal the best ones…"

"Thank you, Blaine, that would be very nice."

"Yeah, awesome, dude." Finn grinned.

"No problem." He shrugged with a warm smile.

"I'm so full!" Burt whined "I could use a walk… would anyone care for one?"

Every head around the table nodded eagerly as Carole hastily got up "Alright, let me just clear the table."

"I'll help…" Blaine got promptly to his feet, kicking Deeds slightly as he did, and Kurt watched as her eyes became wide and stared at Blaine. He gave her a _look _and at once she was scrambling to her feet.

"I'll help, too!"

Kurt hid his laughter behind a few coughs as he got to his feet quietly collecting his and Finn's plates.

"Oh, Blaine, dear, no need. Please, sit down, it's just five minutes, you too, Deirdre." Carole said softly, gesturing for them to put their things down.

"It's no trouble at all."

"I insist, Blaine, you're guests." She smiled and Blaine nodded at once, sitting down "Finn, however, is _not_."

"Neither are you, dad." Kurt eyed his father sternly and Burt sighed under the gaze of his son, getting up and taking as much as he could with him.

Ten minutes later found them closing the door, taking in the soft warm breeze of a summer's night. "Hey, dude" Finn turned to Blaine "You don't know what that stage is for, do you?" he asked gesturing towards the stage now completely set up on the parking lot.

Blaine eyed the stage with a small frown "Huh… I don't actually… wait…" he looked around and after just a few moments he'd found what he was looking for and jogged quickly towards the poster on the wall. "Oh, NO WAY! Awesome!" He laughed as he turned to join the group again. "It's for a concert…" he was grinning.

"Surprisingly, we'd figured that much out…" Kurt rolled his eyes.

Blaine shot him a soft scowl before continuing "It's possibly for the worst musician in Portugal…"

"How is that awesome?"

"You know when something is so bad, _so bad_ that everyone just kind of loves it in a 'it's so bad it's funny' kind of way… Like Rebecca Black's Friday?"

"Hey, Sam, Artie and Puck sang that at our junior Prom!"

Blaine spared just the tiniest glance at Finn before turning back to Kurt "It's a type of music that's… hummm… I'm not sure how to explain it, but it's_ bad_. It's also really fun." He laughed "You _have _to come!" he grabbed Kurt's hand as they started walking "And I _have_ to call the guys…!"

xXxXx

Finn and Kurt were sprawled side by side on the couch staring at the TV as the people in it spoke loudly in Portuguese. Kurt couldn't get a word out of it, but he was still pretty sure it was a soap opera and the acting was worse than terrible.

"This seems pretty bad…"

"Yap…"

"Like really terrible…"

"Yap..."

"I can only imagine their dialogues… worse than High School Musical…"

"Yap…"

"Hey, let's play a game…" Kurt suggested, his voice as slurred as his posture. He felt as lazy as a snail under the scorching sun "Let's make the dialogue up… pretend we're the characters…"

Finn considered it for a moment and then smiled and shrugged "Alright… I'll be that really mean guy and the blonde girl… You can do the other three, the brunette, the old woman and the stupid looking guy."

"Fair enough… Ok… One, two, three." He waited for one of his characters to speak, and then, taking into account their posture, tone and expression he spoke "You were supposed to buy the sugar! How am I supposed to bake a cake with no sugar?"

"Well, at least you won't get any fatter! And you wonder why I cheat on you!"

"I don't wonder why, I wonder how! You're as dumb as a cucumber! And as ugly as one too!" Kurt tried not to laugh as one of his characters interrupted what they'd interpreted as a fight "Guys, guys! Chillax! I can go buy some sugar, man…"

"Do you need company? I think I need to get some tanning done…"

"Is that all you think about?"

"Is there anything else to think about? Look at me, I'm drop dead gorgeous, do you think I just woke up one day this hot?"

"No, I still have nightmares from that time you forgot to shave down there…"

"Well, now you know what it feels like for me!"

Kurt was about to reply when his cell rang "Hold on… Hey, Blaine."

"Hi… Hmm, I have that map I told your parents about… are you home?"

"Yeah, yeah… We're just killing some time before heading off to the beach, actually. Come over."

"Alright, I'll be there in five."

"Great!" Kurt smiled and hung up. "Jesus, don't you won a mirror? That outfit is absolutely horrible!"

"Come near me and see if I care, biatch!" Finn even snapped his fingers for effect.

"Who do you think you're calling a bitch, bitch? I'll kill you!"

They kept at it, even when the doorbell rang and Kurt dragged himself off the couch and went to open the door as he shouted over his shoulder "The day you screwed my husband and my sister at the same time was the day I stopped loving you, you fucking cunt!"

"Huh, sorry… I didn't know they were related to you…?" Blaine stood frowning, wide eyed, at Kurt.

Kurt giggled pulling him in with a quick kiss as Finn screamed from the couch "Yeah, well, at least I wasn't the one to lose my virginity to my_ grandfather_!"

"That was a SECRET!"

"What the…?" Blaine frowned at the two brothers, Kurt having returned to the couch.

"We're pretending to be these characters… We're making up the dialogue. You can be the old lady, if you want – she's not much fun."

"Oh… ok…" Blaine smiled, even though he was still frowning slightly, as he sat next to Kurt, who, almost instinctively snuggled into him. "Hum… right, let's see… I wish you people would stop fighting! One of these days you'll give me a heart attack!"

Kurt and Finn raised their eyebrows at him.

"What?"

"Dude, more power!" Finn urged him.

Blaine rolled his eyes but sighed and almost shouted at the top of his lungs "Yo, mothafucker, Imma tap yo ass if you don't shutp yo' fugly mouths right now!"

"That's what I'm talking about!"

Blaine laughed and pulled Kurt a little closer "Be quiet, Q-tip! Seriously, your hair is so white it's burning my eyes! Go die or something, but please go away!"

"OH, no! You better take that back, or Imma smash yo' motherfucking nose into the motherfucking wall, and make you eat yo' own shit you little sack of fucking-"

"Hey, kids!"

Blaine closed his mouth and became tomato red in one quick second as Burt and Carole came striding in with small bags of groceries.

"Hi, dad!" Kurt beamed, trying not to laugh at Blaine's absolutely terrified expression.

"Blaine…" Burt nodded in greeting with a soft questioning frown.

"Huh, I… I came over to give you that map I was talking about." Blaine jumped to his feet grabbing a paper from his back pocket and going to the table where he unfolded it. "See, I marked here the best ones... Could you let me know, though, when you go to this one…? It's my favorite beach, and I never pass up an excuse to go there…"

"Sure thing, kid." Burt smiled taking the map to inspect it closer.

"So, huh, I'm gonna go…" He scratched the back of his neck.

Kurt got up in a matter of seconds "I'll walk you out…!"

"Later, Mr. Hummel. Carole…!" Blaine waved tightly before turning on his heel and following Kurt who was already holding the door open. As soon as they stepped outside and Kurt pulled the door almost closed behind him Blaine let out a long deep breath and hung his head "Oh my god!"

"That was brilliant!" Kurt snickered.

"It was not! Your parents almost caught me saying the most amount of slurs I've ever used in my life!"

"In your life? Boy, you really are dapper!" Kurt chuckled.

Blaine shoved him slightly "I'm just articulate, that's all."

"Huh huh…" Kurt smirked but let it fade to a genuine smile as he took Blaine's hand carefully "Hey… listen… Dad wants to spend the day as a family… but hum…. When we get back, after dinner, I'll see you, right?"

"Of course! I need to make sure you guys see the brilliance that is Quim Barreiros!"

"Oh, yeah, that's tonight?"

"Yap, it's gonna be totally awesome!"

"You sounded like Finn just now…" Kurt grimaced.

"Oh, sorry, it's going to be positively delightful!" Blaine beamed and Kurt laughed, dipping slightly to peck his cheek.

"Lovely!"

xXxXx

_What beach did you go to? – B_

_S. Torpes. It's huge! – K_

_How is it? – B_

_It's a bit windy, but it's alright… it'd be too hot otherwise. – K_

_Well, there's that and the fact I'm not there… you must be shivering with cold. ;P – B_

_I'm torn between insulting or flattering you. Damn you. You made me soft! – K_

_Really? I swear I was trying to make you hard… - B_

_Oh. My. God. – K_

_THAT WAS NOT ME! I swear! I'm sitting next to Diana, and I may have said that AS A JOKE, and she stole my cell and sent it! I swear! I'd never say that! – B_

_Tell her I say Hi, and then tell her to keep her hands off your cell, even if from now on I'll know that any inappropriate texting will most likely be from her. – K_

_She'll keep her hands off my cell if you keep your hands on me. – B_

_Give it back. – K_

_When I was kid I wanted a pony for my B-Day. Can you be that pony? – B_

_I take it back. Keep it. You're amusing. – K_

_Not fun anymore, then. Giving it back. Tootles. – B_

_Hi Blaine – K_

_Hey, you sexy thing! – B_

_Oh… -.- - K_

_Lol, it's actually Blaine, ahahah! – B_

_In that case you should know that was lame… - K_

_I do… I'm sorry. Anyway, check these lyrics out: I put my car in my (female) neighbor's garage, I take my care out my neighbor's garage, any time of the day I want, and if there's no space in the front I can always use the back. – B_

_Is that what we'll be listening to tonight? – K_

_Yes! He's very good with sexual metaphors, isn't he? – B_

_Well, I'd say he's up there with Katy Perry on that department. – K_

_What? That's not even funny! You can't compare Katy to this guy! – B_

_Oh, because a Peacock and Humming Bird are very discreet metaphors… - K_

_Shut up. I'm mad at you. – B_

_Ahaha, I'm not taking it back, Blaine. You can sulk all you want, I'm not taking it back. – K_

_Can I beg on my knees? – B_

_Hi Diana… - K_

_Dammit. – B_

"Hey Kurt, what're you doing?" Finn's gigantic shadow came to loom over me and raised my eyes to see him standing there looking slightly impatient.

"I'm texting Blaine…"

"Do you wanna go for a dive?"

"Not particularly, no…"

_Is Blaine back...? Warning in advance: Finn is looking restless and trying to enlist me for some kind of activity. If I stop replying, he has succeeded. Fear for me. – K_

"Please? I'm bored!" He dropped to his knees right in front of his towel.

Kurt sighed "Finn, just go take a nap…"

"I can't! I woke up half an hour ago, I can't go back to sleep!" he whined.

"Well, I'm not just about to dive into ice cold water, thanks very much…"

"It's not that cold! And I bet you'd do it if I was Blaine."

"And yet you're not."

_You have my prayers. – B_

"Come on, Kurtie!" Kurt glared at Finn wordlessly and Finn immediately retracted "Sorry, I'll never call you that again. Just, come on, dude!"

"Finn!" Kurt rolled his eyes "I'm really not in the mood."

"You're never in the mood!"

"All the more reason for you to know better than to come here and ask me to go with you!"

Finn pressed his lips tightly before smiling and getting up "Alright. I won't ask you anymore."

Kurt frowned and watched as Finn walked away towards the calm water. There was something ominous about that smile, and that sentence, that tone… the whole thing… Kurt knew it… He continued watching Finn carefully. He continued watching Finn as he stepped slowly and carefully into the water, as he dove, as he swam a little bit, as he stood up again and started walking back to the shore, as he didn't stop at his towel, as he continued towards Kurt's towel…

"Oh, come on!" Kurt muttered before getting up and starting to walk backwards, trying to get as far away as possible, but without breaking into a chase – Finn would win that far too easily. Finn knew that, too. Yes, yes he did, because in one split second he took off running towards Kurt. "FINN! DON'T!"

As would be predicted Finn caught up with Kurt way too easily, grabbing his waist and throwing him over the shoulder with such little effort it looked like he was carrying a schoolbag. Kurt didn't have to wait more than a minute before he was enveloped in cold water, flailing his arms and legs, trying to resurface and spitting up bucket loads of water as he did. Finn was grinning and laughing happily. Kurt whipped his hair out of his eyes and started stalking off towards the towels without even so much as a word.

"Hey!" Finn called after him "Hey, wait! I'm sorry, Kurt, just hold on a sec!"

"What?"

"Huh… do you wanna… like, go for a walk?"

Kurt frowned slightly "A walk?"

"Yeah… let's just go for a walk along the beach… talk… hang out…"

"You just almost drowned me, why should I hang out with you?"

"I didn't almost drown you, the water was knee deep!" Finn rolled his eyes "Come on… I'm kind of sick of laying around sleeping and playing Angry Birds…"

"Try Tetris then…"

Finn shot him a half annoyed look "Please!"

"Fine…" Kurt shrugged as he started walking and he heard Finn let out a winning hiss before jogging up to catch up "Did you get a chance to talk to Rachel, yesterday?"

"Uh. No… she told me she was going out for the day with her dads… I talked to Puck, though… He says his pool cleaning business isn't doing very well this Summer…"

"Bummer…"

"Yeah… What about you? Did you talk to Mercedes?"

"Yeah, she's alright, and she says the glee kids are all planning a graduation slash goodbye party for after we get back…" he smiled tightly.

"Cool, that's a good idea. You guys all deserve a kickass goodbye party…" Finn smiled "Hey, you know I'm gonna miss you, right?"

Kurt looked at Finn, who was smiling sweetly, and he couldn't bring himself to keep the annoyed stance "Yeah, Finn, I know, and I'll miss you, too. A lot. Somehow…"

"That's cool… We'll keep in touch, tough, right? You promise you'll skype, like, every week?"

"Sure. I can always highjack your skype sessions with Rachel, too…"

"Oh… yeah…" Finn sighed and ducked his head with a slight frown.

"Hey, hey Finn…" the smaller boy reached out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder "I told you, you'll make it!"

"I… Everyone says long distance doesn't work, Kurt!"

"It's just for a while… and we'll come home for Christmas and Spring break, too…" Kurt said softly.

"It's not just this year! Kurt, I don't have a clue as to what I want to do with my life, and if I don't know that how can I even think about applying to colleges, let alone in New York or anywhere near that!"

"Hey… take this year off as an opportunity to think about that, help my dad out at the shop and figure it out." Kurt sighed "Do some part-time jobs, or volunteer at local stuff… Just really think it through, create some dreams for yourself and then go after them!"

"Yeah… but… what if they're not compatible with Rachel?"

"I… I don't know, but you need to figure out what you want to do with your life before anything else. Rachel loves you and she wants you to be happy first and foremost, just like you want her to be happy. If she decided to quit her dreams to be with you what would you say?"

"I wouldn't let her!"

"That's exactly what she wants for you too, Finn, you just have to know what it is that you want, and I can promise you I'll be behind you, as will Rachel, one hundred percent."

Finn beamed at Kurt, reaching out and wrapping an arm around Kurt's shoulders "I'd never thought being your brother would be one of the best things to ever happen to me."

"Same here…" Kurt muttered "Except when I did…"he winced slightly at the memories.

Finn chuckled "You think if I figured it out I could do whatever I wanted?"

"Of course. You're an idiot, Finn, but you're a great idiot. I believe in you."

"Thanks. I believe in you, too, by the way. I think you'll do great." Finn squeezed him slightly "And I look forward to having you as my best man at my wedding one day – preferably to Rachel."

"Me?" Kurt frowned but smiled "Not Puck?"

"Puck? My best man? With our history he'd nail the bride on the wedding day! No, thank you! I want someone I can rely on, and I know I can rely on you, man."

"Oh…" Kurt stared at Finn with wide eyes before breaking into a genuine smile "Yes, yes you can…"

"You can rely on me, too… just so you know."

"I know…" Kurt leaned slightly into Finn's hold.

Finn grinned and chuckled "So I'll be your best man when you marry Blaine?"

Kurt shot him an amused glare "You'll be my best man, let's leave it at that."

xXxXx

"Deeds, eat your soup…!" Blaine told her for the fiftieth time, checking the clock on the wall. _Hurry up!_

"I don't wanna!"

"Then you don't wanna go out tonight either, then." He shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against his chair.

"I do!"

"Then I'm quite sure you want to eat your soup as well." He smiled winningly.

"Blaaaaine!"

"Deirdre, I'm serious. You're eating that soup. I'm gonna go upstairs, take a shower and get dressed and when I come back down I want that plate completely empty, and don't even think about throwing it down the toilet, I'm locking the bathroom and the kitchen. You can start now." He shot her a half glare before getting up and effectively locking both doors as she sighed and whined behind him. "Eat! I want to go out tonight!" _I reeeeally want to go out tonight._

He didn't so much as glance backwards as he jogged upstairs and closed his door behind him. With a sigh he tried to let go of his annoyance. Deeds' relationship with vegetables, in any way or form, was, to say the least, challenging.

But it wasn't like that had been the most challenging part of the day… That afternoon on the beach had not been good for his brain. AT ALL. He'd spent it with the gang, as expected, but they had taken Finn and Kurt's absence as a chance to drill him about everything and anything to do with them. And then the jokes, and the suggestions and… And then he'd texted Kurt, and Diana noticed it and stole his cell… he panicked when she decided started 'putting words in his mouth' so to say. But the worst part was – she'd only put into words thoughts Blaine had never dared speak, but that had been flashing in his mind like neon signs since those minutes on his kitchen counter. Oh hell… since the first time he caught a glimpse of those skin tight jeans the first night they talked – the only difference now is that Blaine actually knew what it felt like to have his hands there, and to have Kurt kissing him, lying on top of him, what it felt like to have Kurt biting and sucking at his neck, or Kurt's hands pressing against his thighs…

The only difference now was that Blaine knew all of those things, and you know what they say about that – once you know something, you can't really _unknow_ it, can you? There was no switch Blaine could find to turn off that knowledge, to make him forget about those things. He wanted one, he wanted one very much, because he knew they should try to take things slow, but his hormones and his nineteen year old brain were most definitely hiding that switch effectively well.

He took off his T-Shirt and swim trunks and quickly hopped on the shower. He let the warm water pour down his skin, effectively relaxing completely. He'd been simply letting the water cascade onto his head for a while when he just couldn't help it anymore. He reasoned, if he took care of it himself maybe it would get better… He leaned against the wall, letting his head fall back and rest against the tiles… Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he let his imagination fly – and boy, did he have one hell of an imagination.

The moment he came he let his knees give in, sliding his back down against the tiled wall and panting heavily. That was the exact same moment his cell started to ring.

"Crap…!" he muttered, hopping off the shower and wrapping a towel around his hips hastily before going on a true scavenger's hunt for it, during which he noticed he'd left q very well defined bite mark on his hand – _but when…?_ _Oh right, I used it as muffler._ He winced once or twice as the sore skin brushed against fabrics and surfaces as he tried desperately to find the source of the music._ Oh, the gods are mocking me! Or punishing me… yeah.. that's more likely._ Finally he found it buried deep in his bag. He didn't even have time to check for caller ID before gasping "Yeah?"

"Oh, Hi!" it was Kurt. _Of course._ "Sorry, bad timing? You seem a little out of breath…?"

"Oh, huh… right… I… I was… I was in the shower, and hum… had a… bit of a run for my money trying to find it and not falling flat on my butt – I' must've slipped like twenty times…!" _That and I just played five against one while thinking of you on top of me doing… BLAINE!_

"I'm… sorry? Anyway, I was calling to say we just got home… and I was wondering if you wanted to go for a coffee before the concert….?"

"Now?"

"Huh, no, I still have to take a shower… but…"_oh, so you mean you're about to get undressed and… humph, Blaine quit it_!

"Right, right… Yeah, sure, I'm almost ready too, so… whenever you're ready."

"Alright… I'll just go now, then." _Yeah, go get naked… Oh God, Blaine! Head. Out. Gutter. NOW._

"Yeah, see you soon."

He collapsed on his bed the second he hung up.

xXxXx

"Kurt! QUIT HOGGING THE SHOWER!" Finn banged his fist against the door.

"I'm com… Huh… I'll be right out… Just two minutes." Kurt almost tripped over himself in his haste to get out of the tub. Ok, so maybe he'd taken a little too long with his shower. It was for a good cause, though… Right? Kurt looked at his reflection on the mirror and shook his head at himself. _No, Kurt, that's was NOT a good cause. That was an attempt at ending your sexual frustration that will turn out to be a failed attempt the minute you see him again_. Oh, but** he** had just been taking a shower, which meant he had been naked and wet, and neaked… yeah… **while** talking to Kurt. _Oh, what the hell, good cause or not, I feel damned good!_

"Your hair is _fine_…!" Finn sighed from the other side.

Kurt frowned. _My hair? What… oh! Oh, Finn, your naivety is amazing, never change that! _He chuckled to himself, grabbing his towel from the rack.

"Yeah, I just… I got conditioner in my eyes… Sorry, I'll be right out." He was almost laughing as he wrapped another towel over his head carefully. Ok, so maybe he'd be right back to square one the moment he saw Blaine again – well, not maybe, for sure –, but right now he was pretty much as relaxed as one could get. He grinned as he opened the door "Sorry, go ahead…"

"Finally!" Finn rolled his eyes, slipping inside and nearly slamming the door shut.

Kurt proceeded to happily turn on his music and open the wardrobe doors standing and contemplating his options humming along. He picked up his olive green jeans, a black shirt and his light brown leather jacket. After getting dressed and combing his hair to perfection he smiled, turned off his music and skipped his way to the living room.

"Aren't you jolly?" Carole giggled.

"It was a good day, it's probably going to get better, what's not to be jolly about?" Kurt shrugged "I'm gonna go… give e a call when you head out, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Burt rolled his eyes "I know what you're jolly about, and it ain't the day at the beach!"

"Oh, and what might that be, then?" Kurt rolled his eyes, grabbing an apple on his way to the door.

"I'll give you a hint, it has curly hair and dreamy green eyes!"

"Hazel…" Kurt muttered under his breath before opening the door and shooting over his shoulders "Bye!"

He closed the door and took a deep breath. Pulling out his cell he started walking towards Blaine's.

_Heading your way. See you in five. – K_

_Good, I need reinforcements. – B_

_? – K_

_You'll see… - B_

Kurt cocked an eyebrow but merely pocketed it back, and continued on his merry way. The streets, he noticed, were even more crowded as he walked. He rang the bell and waited, swinging slightly from foot to foot.

He was going to ring it again when the door suddenly swung open "Come in!" Blaine half smiled, half gasped before going back inside. Kurt frowned slightly but complied, closing the door carefully behind him.

"There you go, Deeds, try blackmailing me _now_." He heard Blaine say from the kitchen. He followed the voice and found Deirdre sitting at the table, a bowl of soup in front of her, untouched.

"What's up?" Kurt frowned amused at the two siblings staring each other down.

"Deeds is refusing to eat her soup, I told her we're not leaving the house until she does. She was saying that she knew for a fact I wouldn't give up the chance to see you tonight just so she would eat the soup. Well, then, Kurt's here, guess I don't really have that much of a reason to back down, now, do I?" he raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest with a cocky smile that Kurt had yet to see on his face. He actually kind of liked it.

"Well, you still want to go to that concert…" Deeds shrugged.

"So do you."

"I can do without it." She crossed her arms, mirroring Blaine.

"So can I."

"If I may…" Kurt mused softly "Tell you what, Deeds… If you eat that I'll buy you an ice cream."

"You don't think I said that already?" Blaine droned out.

"Fair enough." Kurt sighed and frowned, chewing slightly on his lip as he thought. He saw as Deeds' smile grew, as cocky as Blaine's and that did it "Ok, here's the deal, missy, you don't eat your soup we don't go out. We don't go out, you don't see Finn, you don't dance with Finn, you don't share an ice-cream with Finn. Furthermore, you don't eat your soup, I make sure you don't see him until the end of this week."

"You can't…"

"But I can." Kurt raised his chin and looked at her with a sly grin. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Blaine beaming and sighing with relief.

"You wouldn't…"

"But I would."

"Oh… not fair."

"Completely fair!" Kurt sighed "That soup's good for you. When you're older and you're healthy because you ate your vegetables you can thank us."

"Pff, please!" Deirdre rolled her eyes as she picked up her spoon.

"I'm completely serious, Deeds." Kurt's voice was as serious as his eyes – which was to say one hundred per cent; and even Blaine turned to frown slightly confused and half surprised at the tone "Eating habits aren't a joke in the least. You should learn that rather sooner than later, trust me."

"Huh…" Blaine cleared his throat trying to think of something to break the tension "So, Kurt and I are going to go to my bedroom" he said as he picked up the bowl of soup and the spoon and started walking out of the kitchen "and when you're done eating it you can _call _us and we'll go for coffee before the concert." He smiled tightly as he put the bowl down on the coffee table and turned the TV on "Try to hurry up, will you?" He sighed heavily, locking, once more, the kitchen and bathroom doors.

"What're you doing?" Kurt asked him in a hushed voice, following him with a confused frown.

Blaine rolled his eyes signaling for Kurt to follow him upstairs "She'll throw it out if I don't… I found her doing that once, back home."

"Oh… clever girl."

"A pest, is what she is." He scoffed "She's never like this with nana, you know… But with me…! Argh! I could swear she does it just to annoy me!"

"That just means she's more comfortable with you. I do the same with my dad… I could defy him any day of the week, but if Carole tells me to do anything whatsoever I'm like a soldier taking orders from the President."

Blaine chuckled as he closed his bedroom door behind him, but let out a small sigh nonetheless "It's still annoying and I'm running out things to use to make her eat her vegetables. I don't want to ground her, but I'll have to start if she keeps this up…" He threw himself on top of his bed and buried his head into his pillow, grunting.

"I'll ask Carole for advice – if she got Finn to eat anything green, she must have good advice." Kurt smiled and sat at the edge of the bed, squeezing Blaine's shoulder carefully and gently.

"I'd be eternally grateful if she would." He mumbled, voice still muffled by his pillow before relaxing visibly and flipping to lay on his back, looking back at Kurt his frown completely gone "Hey…!"

"Hi."

He reached out to pull Kurt down for a soft kiss, propping himself on one elbow, meeting him halfway. "How was your day?" He asked once they broke the kiss "I took it Finn succeeded…"

"He did… But it was ok, actually. We just went for a walk and as per usual I spent most of that time reassuring him about his relationship with Rachel. But it was alright. He told me he wants me to be his best man when he gets married."

Blaine chuckled "You'll probably make one hell of a best man… Somehow you don't strike me as the type who'd forget the wedding ring."

"Oh, hell no!" Kurt laughed "I was my dad's best man when he married Carole, and I was awesome! I planned that wedding in a week and it was perfect!"

"Oh, well, there you go!"

"And your day? Did Diana throw _your_self at anyone else with highly inappropriate texts?"

He snorted and sat up as he shook his head "No, she reserved that honor solely for you. I swear it wasn't me, though… I may have said that first one _as a joke_, but…"

"Hey, I know. If you wanted to make inappropriate comments or jokes at my poor wording choices you would have had plenty other chances." Kurt moved to sit next to Blaine "Other than that?"

"Nothing much really; came back home with Deeds, my grandma told me she was going out with her friends before the concert, and from then on it's been that battle you walked in on."

"Well it's a noble battle." Kurt sighed quietly, his eyes lost for a moment.

Blaine frowned slightly "Yeah, about that… You were really being serious back there… not that I don't appreciate it, because you got her to eat that damned thing, but… something wrong?"

Kurt's expression was pained for a moment, before he sighed and shook his head lightly "Not really… not now, anyway…" he shrugged "It's just that almost two years ago my dad had a… heart attack. It's been a bit of an ongoing struggle since then, to get him to eat right. He'd only eat red meat and deep fried food if it was up to him. It's been easier since I got Carole to help me out, though."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Blaine took Kurt's hand in his and immediately shifted his position to face Kurt.

"Oh it's water under the bridge…." Kurt smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes, which could only hold Blaine's gaze for a moment or two before he dropped it. As he did his slightly pained expression was replaced with confusion "Huh, Blaine, what happened to your hand?"

Blaine's eyes grew wide and his face was scorching red. Had it been any other moment he could've easily lied "Oh, that? Pipa bit me because I was making fun of her!" yeah, had not Blaine been completely off guard he could've easily lied. This was not the case. Blaine was most certainly not expecting that question and as such he did not have any sort of answer ready…

"Huh… that… huh… I… don't know…?" He grimaced.

"You don't know?" Kurt frowned.

"Huh-huh… I just…"he shrugged, trying to look as nonchalant as possible (not that the furious blush wasn't a dead give-away) "I must've scraped it at the beach playing soccer with the guys, or something…"

"Oh, it just looks a lot like a bite mark… weird."

"Kurt." Blaine sighed "Let's just… Can we pretend my hand is completely normal and I didn't just make it incredibly obvious that I know perfectly well what happened and that it's actually incredibly embarrassing and there's no way in hell I'll actually tell you what truly happened to it in the next few days?"

"Oh. Ok." Kurt's deep frown was amused "That embarrassing?"

"That embarrassing." Blaine nodded shortly with a tight smile.

"Alright then. Don't ask, don't tell." Kurt chuckled, pulling the offending hand to his lips for a quick kiss. Blaine burst into a coughing fit, choking violently as he turned to face the wall his back to Kurt. "Huh, Blaine?"

"I'm ok…" he panted "I'm ok! Just… don't ask, don't tell." He chuckled at himself and turned to face Kurt again "I'll tell you when we're at the airport…" he winked slightly, even if he was still a little too flushed.

"Looking forward to…" Kurt snickered moving slightly closer "Or maybe…"_ Maybe I'd rather not know and get the chance of spending a lot more time with you instead of going back and spending almost two months without being with you again…_

"Yeah…" he sighed softly, closing the distance between them. Placing a hand at the back of his neck he maneuvered them, Kurt leaning backwards, slowly and carefully, Blaine following his movements, hovering on top of him.

"Mmm… Blaine…" Kurt muttered between kisses, as Blaine flung his leg over Kurt's hip to straddle him.

"Yeah?"

"Deeds… downstairs…"

Blaine pulled back slightly, frowning impatiently "I should care about that, shouldn't I?"

"Yes, yes you should." Kurt laughed but Blaine silenced him with another kiss – one long, lingered kiss.

"You know you make me a bad brother…" He sighed as he pulled back.

Kurt snorted slightly and slapped Blaine's arm "Hey! I do not! I'm not the one forcing you to kiss me like that…!"

"I beg to differ." Blaine shrugged with an amused smile, dipping down once more for the other boy's lips, and he was surprised to find Kurt pulling him down, letting himself fall completely onto the soft bed. He complied, more than readily. He moved his lips to taste Kurt's neck, pulling at his jacket so there was more skin to savor. He smiled as Kurt moaned lightly beneath him, his hand on Blaine's back digging slightly and his other hand tugging at his curls with increasing pressure, but still careful.

"Blaine…"

"Mmm?"

"We need… huh… to cool off…" he sighed.

"Really…?" he whined slightly, biting slightly at Kurt's ear lobe.

"Huh… just a b…" Kurt stopped entirely – the finger's on Blaine's back completely digging into his flesh and the hand on his hair pulling it forcefully.

"Kurt?" Blaine pulled back to look at Kurt who was crimson red and staring at the door. Blaine didn't even need to look to know what had happened. "Deirdre." He sighed irritably as he climbed off of Kurt and looking towards the door where, indeed, the little girl was standing, looking cartoonishly shocked "What do you do when a door is closed?" He rolled his eyes and smoothed down the creases on his shirt, it was all he could do to keep his composure and not freak out with embarrassment and annoyance "You **knock**, that's what you do."

"I… I finished my soup." She muttered, her voice small and shy.

Blaine glanced at Kurt, who was still looking absolutely mortified. He couldn't help but laugh at the two of them and himself. "Oh, what the… Come on, let's go… coffee." He sighed with a smile and slight scowl at his sister.


	13. The Best Prom

**I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LOOOONG WAIT! I SWEAR THERE'S A REASON!**

**Ok, so here's the deal: I went through the second phase of my film school application, got in and started film school (YAY) all in a space of the last three weeks, I started dating with the guy I mentioned in the previous AN and he's really sweet and I really like him a lot (YAY) but he lives a bit far so I spend a lot of time on the train to go meet him, and last but MOST certainly not least, I had a SHITLOAD of problems with a few friends getting angry at each other over the most stupidest of things and my trying not to chose sides but finding that to be practically impossible (not so yay). All of this means I've been having classes, I've been making new friends with my new classmates, I've been going out with my boyfriend and spending a lot of time doing so, and I've been spending a lot of time trying to be as supportive as I can to one of my best friends who's been taking a lot of crap from another one of my best friends for a reason that's pretty stupid and un-called for, which means I have to go out with her for coffees and stuff like that, so… **

**My life these last few weeks is a musical number away from a seven episode arch on Glee. XD (I laugh no to cry – about the last part of the whole thing, that is)**

**So, that's why, between a lot of things happening in my life, I haven't been able to upload a new chapter in so long. I'll try to do it as often as I can, but I can't promise anything because I don't know if or when things will slow down.**

**Also, I know this is kind of short, but hopefully some of the dialogue (you'll know when you get there) will make up for it.**

**Don't hate me, please.**

xXxXx

Kurt could only laugh as he let Blaine twirl and spin them around, singing along to lyrics Kurt couldn't get a word of. Around them people were dancing just as happily, and laughing just as hard. He could spot Blaine's friends here and there, being even more ridiculous than everyone else. Finn was dancing, or attempting at it with Deirdre and she looked positively ecstatic!

Before they knew it they were covered in sweat from possibly too much dancing. No, I'm sorry, strike that. There's no such thing as too much dancing!

"This is brilliant!" Kurt nearly shouted over the loud music, leaning closer to Blaine's ear.

Blaine nodded eagerly "I told you it would be!"

"But the music is really bad!"

"That's why it's so brilliant!"

Kurt laughed and drew back, allowing them to return to their half assed dancing. Throwing his head back, almost in tears, as Blaine shimmied and shook himself as if his life depended on it.

_How is this even possible?_

How was Kurt allowed to have this much fun? To be this happy? In front of literally hundreds of people! Sure they got a few double takes and even some stares, but no one was flat out rude, and most were just minding their own business. Which meant, mind you, dancing to **horrible** music.

I cannot stress how bad the music really was, because there was no one – and I mean no one, in that country who would ever say those music were good. Like, actually good. But, pretty much like Kurt and Blaine most couples, from youngest to oldest, bore the cheeriest grins on their faces and the joy was just so pure and so exciting it was almost overwhelming.

"I think…" Kurt chewed slightly on his lip before continuing with a slightly shyer grin "I think this is going to be what I remember as my prom…"

"What? Why?" Blaine frowned in confusion at the random observation, almost stopping his dancing, but still smiling.

"It's what it should be like, right?" Kurt asked, his eyes so candid and, in a way, so naïve in their question that this time Blaine really did stop dancing and you could literally see his smile dropping millimeter by millimeter almost in slow motion "Fun and cheerful… All this excitement! It's what proms are supposed to be like... right?"

"Huh… yeah… I guess."

"Well, then! It's settled! I honestly can't remember having this much fun in a long time, so this will be my prom." He shrugged nonchalantly as the song came to an end and he joined the crowd in a loud cheer turning to look at the stage, where the performer was bowing slightly and thanking people.

"Didn't you have a prom?" Blaine frowned slightly ignoring all the clapping and screaming around him.

Kurt glanced at him from where he'd kept his eyes, his smile faltering slightly "Depends."

"On what?"

"I had a prom, I just prefer to imagine I didn't." he shrugged, trying to look and sound as blasé about it as he could. "It wasn't one of my best nights…"

"Too much punch…?" Blaine asked, almost hopeful. Oh, how he knew how badly school dances could go.

"Nop, I was perfectly sober, unfortunately. Had I been intoxicated I'm sure it wouldn't have been half as bad – or at least I wouldn't have felt half as bad. Or maybe not… Well, it would certainly be better if it'd help me forget it… I dunno…"

Blaine opened his mouth to form yet another question but his voice was drowned as the music picked up again and Kurt could see some frustration as he closed it again and glanced almost angrily at the stage. The taller boy chewed on his lip. He'd been having fun and he didn't want to stop, but now he practically owed Blaine some kind of explanation – you don't just dump something like that on someone and then leave them wondering. In hindsight he should've probably kept his mouth shut in the first place.

So, Kurt wasn't surprised at all when Blaine's hold on his hand tightened from one of a simple dancing partner, to one of tugging, as he started walking away, pulling Kurt along, weaving through the crowd.

They stopped when they could finally hear everything perfectly without having to shout over music or screams and crowds, and Blaine sat down on a street bench. Kurt followed his action quietly, crossing his right leg over his left leg and resuming to a very close inspection of his boot, twisting and turning his ankle so he could look at all the angles.

"Kurt…" Blaine sighed.

"I'm sorry, we were having so much fun, and I just had to go and ruin it."

Blaine half smiled as he rolled his eyes and shrugged "Kurt, these concerts… are a dime a dozen. I could care less. And we could have just as much fun in my living room with the stereo on. Now, can you please just… what happened?"

"Nobody tried to kill me…" Kurt offered with a bitter smile and a shrug "I guess that's good."

"Kurt… stop avoiding…"

"I just… I was crowned Prom Queen." Kurt tried to remain as calm and relaxed about it as if he were discussing the weather, but the way his stare wouldn't leave his boot and was a little bit too shiny, and how his voice came out just the tiniest bit strained, or how his posture screamed "UNCOMFORTABLE!" gave it all away.

"You… you were what?"

"I was crowned Prom Queen… I'd just managed to get the physical bullying to stop. I wasn't getting shoved into lockers or anything like that anymore, so I thought I was relatively safe… and I went to Prom – I wasn't gonna go at first, because I didn't really have a date, but then Mercedes and I decided to be each other's dates, since she didn't want to go alone either… well, point is… I went. So… I was having a good time until Principal Figgins announced that, by an overwhelming majority of write-in votes, Kurt Hummel was our year's Prom Queen."

"Princ… what? The principal announced it? Couldn't he have just said the runner-p's name, automatically? What… the fuck? Who does that? Who is that stupid?"

"Oh, he is… He's done, said and believed in worse thing, trust me. Not the brightest star in the constellation, that's for sure. He's a good man, actually… He just… had a brain freeze, I guess. He must have them a lot." He shrugged.

"I'm… You should've sued that school!"

"That would've been inspiring and also a colossal waste of money. And unwanted attention, too. I just went up there and accepted my crown as if that'd been such good news Kate Middleton would've been jealous."

Blaine stared at Kurt with a slackened jaw and wide eyes before, it seemed, his brain caught up with him and he closed his mouth, closed his eyes and shook his head "Wait…" he muttered "You're telling me you accepted the crown?"

"Yeah…"

"You got up on a stage and got crowned Prom Queen?"

"That would be correct."

"You didn't just get out of there as fast as you could?"

"And give them the satisfaction of knowing they had managed to, yet again, beat me down and take away every shred of self confidence or dignity I had left? No. I got crowned and kept my head held high and my dignity intact, thank you very much."

Blaine remained silent again, but this time his eyes weren't wide or frowning, but instead filled with amazement and admiration and his mouth wasn't open in shock but turned in a smile. After a few moments of just smiling he finally chuckled "Wow… oh, god! Where have you been all my life?"

"What..?"

"You'd have helped me grown a backbone so much sooner…!" Blaine shrugged.

"Oh, yeah… well, I was in Lima, Ohio, dealing with these sad excuses for baboons. No, they are not human."

Blaine laughed quietly and ran a hand through his curls "This is… you're crazy, you know that?" Kurt raised an eyebrow at that "Fantastic kind of crazy, but crazy." Blaine completed.

"Oh… that… I am." Kurt shrugged nonchalantly raising his chin and brushing some invisible lint of his shoulder, which made Blaine laugh louder as he stood up and offered Kurt a hand.

"Come on, let's go back to Prom. I hear the punch is great!"

Kurt chuckled, taking the hand and hopping to his feet. Immediately Blaine tugged as close as possible, letting go of his hand only to wrap his own arm around Kurt's waist.

xXxXx

Kurt threw himself on top of his bed with a loud sigh, listening as Finn closed the door behind him and walked tiredly to his own bed.

"This night was crazy!" Finn muttered with a tired smiled.

"I know, right?"

"How are you even alive? You can't dance on top of street benches like that!" Kurt chuckled at Finn's shock and endearing concern.

"God! That was so awesome!"

Finn frowned slightly as he walked to the bathroom "… What?"

"I said, tonight was awesome."

"I know, it's just…. _Awesome_…"

"Oh…" Kurt frowned slightly before shrugging "I guess you're rubbing off on me, dude."

"Cool, bro." they both snorted just as Finn closed the door behind him leaving Kurt alone, on his back, staring at the ceiling, a smile permanently glued on his face. In one swift movement he snatched his cell off his pocket and immediately sat up, his back pressed against the wall and his knees pulled to his chest.

_Apple. - K_

_What? – B_

_Nothing. I just wanted to say something to you. – K_

_Lol, ok, but what's so wrong with 'Hi'? – B_

_It's unoriginal and clichéd. – K_

_I thought we had already established that some clichés aren't so bad. – B_

_Meh… this isn't one of them. – K_

_Oh, so now you're just going to use random words instead of actual greeting words? – B_

_Yes! :D – K_

_You're absolutely crazy! – B_

_Fantastic kind of crazy, though… - K_

_So true… :) Good thing I'll probably become a therapist one day… that way we can have a completely inappropriate and illegal affair. – B_

_Sounds like a good plan to me! – K_

_It's not a cliché? – B_

_That's one of the good ones :P – K_

_Lol deal then. – B_

'_lol, deal then'? come on, you can do better than that! – K_

_Right… I kind of wanted to say something, but I think it's better not to. – B_

_What? Why? You can tell me anything, you know that! – K_

_Yeah… but it's one of those 'things moving too fast' thing…. – B_

_Just say it. – K_

… _- B_

_I mean it. Say it. You can just say something like that and leave me wondering! What if I start thinking you want to dump me? – K_

_You're mental. I don't want to dump you. Obviously. – B_

_Then what is it? – K_

Kurt waited. And waited. He was beginning to get scared. Could it be that bad?

"What's wrong?" Finn's voice snatched him out of it as the tall teenager came out of the bathroom throwing his towel over his shoulder. "Why are you looking at your cell like it's telling you Patti LuPone's is in a coma?"

"It's… nothing. I'm gonna go shower now…" he muttered getting up and taking his cell with him inside. He'd just closed the door when it finally signaled a new text.

_I was going to say that I'm going to fall in love with you. – B_

"Oh…" Kurt stared at his cell for a long minute before realizing he should probably text Blaine or something, or the poor guy would think he was freaked out. Well, he was. But not in a bad way.

He started typing but soon got annoyed at how his fingers would miss the right letter every two syllables and gave up.

xXxXx

"Come on, come on, come on, come on…." Blaine was sitting on the balcony's wall, one leg on each side of it, and his cell carefully placed on it, between them. _I shouldn't have sent it._ "come on!" he whined. As if answering his plea the cell lit up and the opening to Teenage Dream started to sound. Blaine stared at it for a few seconds. A call? Kurt was calling him? _Oh god! I really shouldn't have sent it!_ "Yeah?"

There was some silence from the other end before Blaine could hear Kurt 's sighing "Huh… I… I'm kind of scared…"

"W-what?"

"That you won't… I'm scared that you won't."

"That… That I won't what?"

"Fall in love with me, Blaine. I'm scared you won't fall in love with me!"

"Oh… Huh… I… why would you even think that?"

"Because we've known each other a week… and… you don't know how bad I can get… I'm self-centered, I'm selfish, I'm obsessive, I'm too intense sometimes, and I can get annoying way too often, I don't do too well with criticism and I will never, ever admit that I'm wrong…"

Blaine wanted to almost laugh… out of relief but mainly because that had to be the stupidest thing he'd ever heard. "Kurt… Kurt! Stop! I get it, you have flaws."

"Terrible,_ terrible_ ones!"

"Have you been being yourself with me?"

"Of course!"

"Then I think I'm set to getting to know all of you, flaws included." Blaine sighed "Listen, I got them too, you know? I'm clueless, I'm crazy insecure about a lot of things in my life, I don't like showing those insecurities with anyone which leads to me making very stupid mistakes, I'm friendly towards everyone but I've only ever really been friends with a handful of people because I can't share my emotions that easily… Everyone's got their issues. I'll help you with yours if you help me with mine…"

"Are… are you… I'm _really_ self-centered!"

Blaine laughed "Kurt… Come on, don't be silly. I don't want a perfect boyfriend. I want a human boyfriend. I love it when people are human."

There was silence on the other end of the line before Kurt finally sighed and spoke "So I guess that's a no for a threesome with a lemur then?"

Blaine roared with laughter "I… huh… yeah, that would be a no." He heard as Kurt chuckled on the other end and smiled "Hey, I meant it. I really think I'll fall in love with you."

"You do?"

"Yeah…"

"Me too… with you, I mean."

Blaine chuckled slightly "That's good, then. I can't wait."

"Me neither." He sighed on the other end "It feels… amazing to say it out loud, doesn't it? I mean, it's scary… it really is… but it's also amazing. It's liberating."

"It'll feel even better when it's just 'I love you' instead of 'I will love you'."

"It will." Kurt was smiling, Blaine could feel it in his voice "But just knowing that it's coming, makes it almost as good… like when you're waiting for your cake to finish cooking in the oven – you can see it growing, you can smell it, and it smells delicious so you know it's gonna taste fantastic, and that alone, all that anticipation, makes the waiting almost as good as the cake itself…"

"Well, this cake smells like something I've never had, but it's incredible."

"I'll make a perfume out of it…"

"Oh, god, please do!" Blaine joined Kurt's soft laughter.

"Hey, thank you for tonight, it was one of the best nights of my life. Best Prom ever…" There was a pause, a long pause, but Blaine knew Kurt still had something to say, his tone wasn't final, so he waited patiently in silence as the other boy put his words together "You're… Hmm… I huh… you're the most… beautiful person I've ever met, Blaine."

Kurt's voice was so soft and so honest and pure, and his words were so simple and yet so strong and powerful that Blaine thought he'd never heard something quite like that one sentence spoken by that one voice. No one had ever said something like that to him. He'd heard 'you're amazing, or fantastic, or brilliant', he'd heard 'I want you', 'I care about you', 'I need you'… he'd even heard 'I love you'. Yet, somehow, this seemed so much stronger than all of those put together. None of them had ever made him feel like this, like he was _so_ worthy, like he was truly exceptional, and like someone – someone that mattered, that counted – appreciated_ everything_ about him, like someone actually_ saw_ him without ever having been asked to do so… it was stupid and weird, and there were so many things about Blaine's feelings that didn't make sense that he could barely wrap his mind around the turmoil it'd awoken in his mind and body. It took him a moment to gather himself, his eyes stinging slightly as he cleared his throat and took a deep steadying breath "I… thank you… I… I swear to God, Kurt, you just…! I… dammit, I can't even speak!" he half chuckled before shaking his head sighing, deep and long. "You'd better fall in love with me, or you'll break my heart."

"I'll do my best… but I don't think it'll be hard, so, not to worry…"

"Ok, then… good."

"I wish I didn't have to go next week…"

"Don't be silly, you're going apartment hunting, and be settling in and everything, it'll be great! And we'll talk every day… it'll go by in a flash."

"It'd better! Oh, God, I can't wait for the school year to start!"

Blaine chuckled "Ahaha… freshmen… the young and inexperienced! Just wait till you're a week and a half in… you'll be regretting those words."

"Shut up! You're like one year older!"

"That is one hell of a good year!" Blaine mocked "It's still time, I'm still older."

"Oh well, you'll get wrinkles before me, so…"

"Oh, you mean from dealing with children like you?"

"Watch it! I'll take it back and I'll break your heart!"

Blaine chuckled and hopped off the wall to go back inside "How do we do this?"

"What?"

"Go from totally serious to teasing and joking in a matter of seconds."

"I guess that's how you know you've got a good thing going, no? Things being this easy… It's a good sign."

"Good thing? Try brilliant, awesome and spectacular…"

"And cheesy."

"Shut up."

Kurt chuckled "Sorry… wait- What Finn?...No I haven't… because I'm talking on the phone… None of your business… don't… shut… Oh, that's so mature!... Finn! I'm se-"

"Hi Blaine!"

"Hey Finn…"

"Wazzup?"

"Huh… Why did you take Kurt's phone away?"

"Because it seemed like a fun thing to do, interrupting you two lovebirds..."

"Oh, ok, then… Cool! Are you having fun?"

"Not really, no… Seemed funnier in my head. I'm gonna give it back now, see you tomorrow dude."

"See you." Blaine shook his head with a soft smile as he sat down on his bed, kicking off his shoes.

"stapler…"

"What?"

"I'm not saying hi, hey or hello…"

"Oh! Right!"

"I'm gonna go take a shower and then go to sleep, if that's ok…"

"Of course that's ok… as much as I'd like to talk to you all night long I'm pretty sure there would come a point when I'd just say gibberish, that point being sooner rather than later. I really need to sleep as well… so… Yeah, have a nice shower and sleep tight."

"Sweet dreams…"

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, of course. 'Night."

"'Night, babe…" Blaine threw his cell phone to his bed as he got up to undo his pants.

_Wait-What?_


	14. A Growing Problem

**Again, sorry for the delay, but I'm posting these as I write them, and time for writing them isn't exactly abundant right now.**

**Hopefully the size makes up for the time it took. And the content too… XP**

**So, that was a fun chapter to write. When you get to the end of it, you'll know what I mean when I say: open for ideas :D**

xXxXx

Kurt exited the bathroom slowly and carefully, His hand still clutching his cell tightly and a light, confused frown on his face. Finn lifted his gaze from the laptop perched on his lap where he'd just started talking to Rachel on skype, and, upon noticing Kurt's posture and expression, fixed it on him.

"Something wrong?" He asked, snapping Kurt out of his thoughts.

"Who're you talking to?" Came Rachel's voice from the computer before Kurt could even clear his throat "Is that Kurt?"

"Huh, yeah…" Finn glanced at the computer before turning back to his stepbrother "What's wrong?"

"Huh… nothing." Kurt frowned deeper and shook his head slowly, turning to stare at the cell, starting to play it between his hands "It's… just that… I think Blaine just called me 'babe'."

"What?" Rachel's voice sounded as Kurt reached his bed and sat down, still toying his cell around, looking straight at it as if Blaine would still be there to clear away any of his confusion.

"Or maybe it was baby. Or maybe I just heard it all wrong… but I mean, why would he say 'Night gate, or Night tape… oh! Maybe it was night time…? Doesn't make much sense, though. Does it? No… Blaine makes sense… I think… he probably did say 'Night, babe… I bet it was an accident. I mean, he couldn't have meant it… I mean, not that he didn't _mean_ it, he just didn't plan to say it, you know? I don't think he did… No, it probably just slipped…"

"Dude." Finn gasped with a frown "you're rambling!"

"Oh…!" Kurt finally took his eyes of the device to look at Finn and blushed slightly "I am, arent' I?"

"Yeah… kind of."

"Sorry. It's just… weird."

"What's happening?" Rachel demanded from her small place on the computer screen "I can't really hear Kurt all that well, you know…?"

"Oh, huh, sorry, Rach… Huh, apparently Blaine called Kurt babe."

"He said Kurt was a babe?"

"No, he said babe like… Good night, babe, or… huh… I love you, babe. Oh! No! Not that one… That didn't sound… He didn't say that." Fin scrambled through his words flushing scarlet before his eyes opened wide and he turned to stare at Kurt shocked "Did he?"

"What?"

"Did he tell you he loves you?"

"What? No! Of course not! Why would you even…? That's crazy, Finn. He just said 'Night, babe'. That's all!"

"Oh… ok… And, huh… is that… bad…?"

"Of course not!" Rachel's voice sounded bright and clear from the laptop. Kurt shot it a frown and rolled his eyes before sighing.

"I… no. Not at all…" he felt his cheeks burn slightly as he couldn't help the smile that was tugging at his lips "Actually, it's kind of nice…"

"Oh, great then!" Finn beamed.

"Yeah!" Kurt beamed "Great…!" he muttered to himself, holding his cell a little tighter with a bubble of light and cheerfulness filling his insides "So, I'm gonna go to sleep, I'd appreciate if you kept that conversation PG for the night, thanks a lot. Have a good night, you two!" he barely waited for their 'Good night's' before yanking the sheets from under him and pulling them back up over himself, almost jumping in his movements to lay down on his side, childishly holding his cell close to his chest as he smiled to himself.

_Nighty, night, babe._

xXxXx

Blaine didn't really sleep that night. You might think that's a little bit of an overreaction to what he might have let slip while talking to Kurt – especially taking into account that the conversation itself was much deeper and intimate than just accidentally calling Kurt 'babe' -, but Blaine did not lack sleep because of that. He lacked it because of what thinking about it lead him to think about.

He thought about all of the other times he had to censor his thoughts – that he'd miraculously held his tongue. And he especially thought about how much more often those instances were becoming.

Every time he was with Kurt Blaine found his head filled with thoughts that weren't very… dapper. Hell, he didn't really need to be with Kurt for that.

Sure they'd kind of talked about it, and how they would just go with the flow… And every once in a while they would tease each other, make a joke or a silly innuendo. But nothing much.

They both knew there was sexual tension (hell, only an idiot wouldn't notice it), but there was almost a silent agreement to leave at that. Tension. Maybe crack a joke or two. But nothing more.

To say what was really on his mind would be… well, bad. Kurt would probably think he was some depraved sex addict or something. Ok, so maybe that was an exaggeration, but honestly! He'd always been proud of being the dapper gentleman he was, why couldn't he just be like that? _Why can't my thoughts remain relatively safe so that I don't need to worry about saying too much?_

And that was the problem. What really kept Blaine up was – _what if I let slip that I want to play football with him again, only this time alone in a bedroom with the lights out without any clothes on and the football ball could also be forgotten? What if I let slip that that tongue should not be licking that popsicle because it can't really appreciate the wonders it can do? What if I let slip that those jeans look so good on him that they need to come off ASAP?_

Now, that is a problem. And that's what kept Blaine up all night. How was he going to control his… growing problem.

The next morning he got up and out of bed pretty soon. He went for his usual jog, and every song seemed to be teasing him (was it really necessary to have Ass Like That, Toxic, Do You Wanna Touch Me, I Just Had Sex, Do You Want to, and When I Get You Alone, among other, all playing when his playlist had 200 songs from to chose?). He got home took a shower, fixed himself some food and flew out the door towards the beach. He'd always found it surprisingly easier to fall asleep at the beach.

And he did. _Thank Goodness!_

When he woke up it was nearly past lunch time and the sun was at its peak. He went for a quick dive before eating his lunch and laid back down to relax some more. He noticed Finn a few yards away, but as Kurt wasn't there, apparently, he thought he'd let the other boy sleep undisturbed.

He read for a while and then merely watched some people around the beach as he listened to his music, which had, surprisingly, stopped torturing Blaine with suggestive songs. It was nearing four thirty in the afternoon when he saw a certain porcelain skinned boy walking through the chaotic beach. Blaine's smile was inevitable, and even if he hadn't slept all night feeling self-conscious and slightly guilty about the thoughts that porcelain skin provoked on him, he couldn't bring himself to care just then, cuz, hot damn, Kurt was looking _good _in that tight T-Shirt.

Blaine watched as Kurt dropped his things next to the big mass of sleeping body that was Finn.

The short boy got up and started a light jog up to the pair of brothers.

"Oh my god!" he heard Kurt gasp as he took off his sunglasses, looking wide eyed at Finn, not having even noticed Blaine, yet.

He was about to make himself noticed when he understood what Kurt had been so surprised about "DAMN!"

Kurt shrieked and jumped two feet n the air "Oh, Jesus Christ! Blaine!"

Blaine chuckled at Kurt's sudden fluster "Sorry, didn't meant to… scare you…" He dove for a quick peck on the lips and smiled "Hey…!"

There was a grumbling noise and both boys looked down to find an awaking Finn, he was sleepily bringing a hand up to scratch his nose, but as soon as the first nail touched that skin the boy was wide awake and clutching his nose for dear life "OhOHHHohhh! Fuckfuckfuckfuck!"

"And thus awakens the lobster monster!" Blaine laughed.

Kurt shot Blaine an amused glance before turning back to stare at his brother, all anger and annoyance "What the hell, Finn? What happened to you?"

"I dunno! _What_ happened to me?" Finn mumbled, still clutching his nose, tears pooling around his eyes. His whole body was a deep shade of red, like he was blushing furiously, only constantly and all over his body. It was unlike anything Blaine had ever seen – which was saying something.

"You, my friend, have a very serious case of sunburn." Blaine announced with a voice that was way too amused to be considered even remotely polite or sympathetic, taking into account how much pain Finn was and would be in for the next few days.

"And idiocy!" Kurt snapped "What were you thinking? I told you to put on sunscreen before coming here!"

Finn was too busy eyeing himself, completely horrified at the state of his skin to notice anything at all that Kurt was practically screaming at him. Blaine felt slightly guilty himself. He'd noticed Finn asleep when he got to the beach.

"Oh Cheesus!" he mumbled miserably "it hurts just to move!" he gasped.

"Cheesus…?" Blaine frowned.

Kurt spared him a glance "Long story… tell you some time." He shrugged, before throwing his own towel on the sand and immediately sitting on it and opening his bag. He took out some skin product as Blaine moved to stand next to him, slightly unsure of whether he should sit down. He was kind of hoping to steal him away – he was certainly not planning to spend his afternoon with Kurt AND Fin (not that he didn't like Finn, but… you get it, right?) – so, hoping he would indeed be successful in his plan, he remained on his feet. All the while Kurt was handing Finn the bottle "Put this on you, it'll make it better. Put a lot of it." He warned sternly "Every half an hour…" he added with a slight frown as he reluctantly took off his T-Shirt.

_Oh, God… here we go again! Put the shirt back on, please… well, ok, fine… no, don't! I'll just… control myself._

_Hands: DOWN!_

_Eyes: UP!_

_Head: Out of the gutter!_

"What is it?" Finn looked at the seemingly suspicious bottle.

"It's just a moisturizer for after sun exposure." Kurt sighed, his voice dripping with annoyance "It's not poison. If I wanted to kill you, Finn, I'd had plenty of better chances before, trust me, the way you can sleep through a hurricane, it's any psychopath's dream…" he rolled his eyes before turning to Blaine who was chuckling silently and stretching his hand out with a pleading smile. Blaine took his hand into his own and pulled him up. "Wanna walk?"

"Sure thing…" Blaine smiled "Later, Finn."

"Later, guys." He barely glanced at them as he finally decided to squirt some product onto his hand.

They heard his moan of relief as he started to apply it and merely giggled and chuckled as they continued to walk away. _I'd like to make you moan like that._

… _Oh for god's sake, Blaine….!_

"What is wrong with him?" Kurt frowned to himself with a sigh "I can't even begin to count the times I told him to use protection!"

Blaine snorted "That just sounds like he got pregnant…"

_I'd like to try and get you pregnant!_

_Oh, come on! That's not even something I'd say!_

Kurt chuckled "Almost…"

"What?" Blaine pulled himself out of his inappropriate thoughts the moment he understood the meaning of Kurt's answer.

"He almost did… well, his ex did… She got pregnant and had a baby in our sophomore year… For a few months there he actually thought it was his."

"It wasn't?"

"No, it was his best friend's. She cheated…" The way Kurt said it so nonchalantly was almost comical.

"Oh… oh!… Poor Finn! That has got to suck!" Blaine cringed and Kurt nodded in agreement "How did she even know for sure whose was it then? If she was sleeping with both, she couldn't really know for sure, could she? Or did she take a test…?"

"She wasn't sleeping with both, just Puck. Finn was still a blushing virgin when it all happened."

"How… How… How does that work, then? It being his and him being…?"

"Oh, you mean you haven't noticed Finn's close to childlike IQ? He though he got her pregnant via hot tub. She told him that one time they were in the hot tub and he… had an… untimely release, and that… the water had made it… well, you get the point. Quinn with her big innocent eyes and angelic face… You combine that with Finn's naivety and you have the key to passing any lie!"

"He thought… I'm sorry, what?"

"Just… go with it." Kurt chuckled "Don't judge. _Never _judge. Not these people."

Blaine scratched the back of his neck as he sighed deeply "Ok, I'll try! It's just crazy."

"Oh, I know!" Kurt shrugged "Just you wait till you meet Rachel!"

"For all you talk about her you'd think you hate her."

"She's like twenty times worse than me when it comes to self-absorption and ambition and everything, except she never, ever shuts up and she has terrible fashion sense. I love her. Somehow." Kurt frowned slightly as Blaine chuckled "So does Finn… That I have to give it to him – he loves her like no one! And it being Rachel that is truly a challenge."

"Yeah, well, you can't really control who you love and how much…"

"If you knew the half of it, you'd be amazed. Anyway, now they're in a bit of a trouble because she's coming to New York and he's staying in Lima… At least for this year."

"Long distance hardly ever works for long periods…" Blaine cringed slightly.

"I'm hopeful. I've watched and had to endure the troubles of their romance for so long now that I'd feel completely cheated and wronged if they didn't get married and lived happily ever after." He sighed with a slight roll of his eyes.

The conversation flowed naturally, as they walked. They watched from afar and waved as Burt and Carole set their things down next to Finn, horrified expression on their faces.

"Wait…" Kurt stopped taking off his sunglasses so he could take a better look "Oh my God! That idiot! He fell asleep again! On his stomach!"

"What… wait… does that mean…?"

"Yes! He got another sunburn on his back!"

While Kurt stared at his family off in the distance – his parents waking Finn up with worried expressions on their faces – Blaine burst into a bit of a fit of laughter. There was a reason tourists were referred to as 'Steaks' in Portugal. Finn was that reason. "Your brother is his own brand of entertainment, isn't he?"

"True…" Kurt sighed, shaking his head "but then again, we all are…" he added after a moment's silence with a slight frown on his forehead "In that glee club, we all were just a little bit crazy. Finn's dumb and a bit childlike, but he isn't that bad compared to Brittany, for instance… None of us really has any place to point fingers, I guess. We all have our own very special brand of crazy. I know I am…"

Blaine smiled genuinely "Good, I like them interesting." He said with a soft shrug before taking Kurt's hand in his.

_See? You can do this! You can flirt and not be filthy! Good boy!_

"So you can have inappropriate love affairs with your patients, right?"

"Absolutely! Besides, I have to get something in return for my services in helping them overcome their issues."

_Ok, still in the clear! Still obviously just joking. That's good, Blaine, That's awesome. Majke sure to keep it like this – Light and easy._

"How about money for the hour?" Kurt suggested half sarcastic, half laughing.

Blaine feigned indignation "Who do you take me for? I would never do it for the money!"

"Just for the sex."

"Of course!" Blaine smiled triumphantly before Kurt slapped him lightly on the head, muttering 'slut' under his breath, and he burst into a fit of chuckles.

"Then you'll have to settle for me as your only patient, because I'm not in a business of sharing." Kurt gave him a warning glance over his shoulder as he started towards his family.

"Jealous, are we?" Blaine called after him before taking off to follow Kurt, jogging to catch up.

"One of the many flaws you'll have to help me get through as my therapist. I'm terribly sorry." Kurt shrugged slightly trying to look as dignified as possible, resisting every urge to crack a smile or chuckle.

"Don't be!" Blaine smiled, hugging Kurt from behind and then adding, under his breath, aligning his lips with the other boy's ear "The more work I have, the more payment I get. God, I've never been this sick of holidays!…"

Kurt's cheeks reddened immediately and even Blaine felt himself blush ever so slightly at his own words. _Dammit ,you lousy filter! Disguise it better! Disguise it WAY better!_

Kurt stopped, a few feet from his family and turned around in Blaine's embrace. He eyed him sternly but there was the hint of a smile playing at his lips as he muttered almost teasingly "You say things like_ that_ and expect me to be able to take things_ slow_, Blaine?"

"I'm… sorry?" Blaine offered with one of his classiest smiles. I only Kurt knew..

_If you only knew how worse it could get you'd be thankful… You'd be so thankful you'd have to have an early thanksgiving dinner. And I'm seriously not joking! I mean, look at yourself right now! All I want to do is kiss every single freckle on that precious skin of yours, and my hands are being very well controlled in their urges to explore your chest… And that's like ten per cent of what I want to do with your body, especially taking into account how good those swim trunks make your ass look. And the thoughts that have been running through my mind ever since you started moving those beautiful lips of yours have their own special place reserved for them in hell. So, why, oh why, should I be sorry for that joke, when it honestly feels like a sex riot is about to burst inside my head?_

Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes "You'd better!" he chuckled as he pulled away to start again towards his family. However he was surprised as Blaine grabbed his wrist and pulled him back towards him.

"No, actually I'm not!" _What are you saying Blaine? _"I want us to be completely honest with each other – I've never had anyone like that in my life, but I feel like I can be like that with you, and I'm quite certain you feel the same way" _Shut up, Blaine. Shut up before you say something bad _"So yeah, I'm going to tell you what I think and what I feel, and I want you to do the same." _You still got time! Stop it before it gets out of hand_! "So I hereby make it very clear that, yes, I want to have sex with you, and no, I don't feel like a slut for it." _Oh, and there it is._

Kurt was staring at him with his eyes wide open and his mouth hanging slightly, a violent shade of red having taken over his cheeks.

"Huh…"

"Yesterday I kind of called you 'babe' by accident, and at first I was like 'shit!' but honestly, it felt _good_. I just said what I was feeling, and it felt damned good… I've never censored what I said around you and I don't want to start now, or ever, for that matter. It feels great to follow my instincts. I don't want to have to justify everything I do or say with this or that intention, or feeling, or whatever. And I certainly don't want to have to filter what I say to you, or have to hide behind shy, cautious innuendos and jokes, like we've been doing, because suppressing my instincts like that, it's been getting harder each day, and yes, harder is really the word I want to use. Sometimes I just want to go with the moment… let my instincts take me wherever they wanna go! And my instincts are crazy about you. So… that's that. Me, laying my cards down. My instincts want to sleep with you."

"I… that's…"

"I'm not saying I need to sleep with you tonight or even this week, Kurt, don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly fine with just spending time with you. More than fine, I love it. So, no pressure, whatsoever. But I can't pretend like it's not on my mind most of the time and I can't pretend that you being like that in front of me is not causing me trouble at all. So, I guess, what I'm saying is if the situation arises and we're both up for it then I just think it's silly that we don't do it because of stupid misconceived social conventions that barely anyone follows anyway but for some idiotic reason we decided to live by. Why, oh why would we even torture ourselves like that? I mean, not sleeping around with every guy I meet: sure! I get why that would be wrong, and I don't want that for myself, or for you. But, for fuck's sake, why would sleeping with you make me a slut? It'd never be just sex. Trust me, the only reason I want it this bad is because it's _you_."

"Shut up." Kurt finally managed to find his voice.

"What…? Are you…? Shit, did I say too much?"

"Blaine, just, shut up." He repeated, closing his eyes and taking one of his hands to rub the bridge of his nose "We're in the middle of a crowded beach. It's not the place for you to be saying things like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you want to have sex with me in the middle of a freaking crowded beach, Blaine, it's just frustrating! I'm already sexually frustrated as it is, just by looking at you, I don't need your help with **suggestive little perfect speeches**!"

"Oh…" Blaine gasped slightly "So… You're not freaked out by what I said, then?"

"Of course not. I'd be freaked out at myself, too, in that case. Believe me, we're on the same page. Probably on the same paragraph too – on the same freaking letter, actually."

"Oh, so you want to…?"

"So much!"

"Oh…!" Blaine swallowed hard as he looked around himself. _A closed, secluded space. I need one of those. Come on, universe._

"You see now what I meant? One thing is the easy banter we had going on – that much I can easily handle –, the other is you telling me flat out you want it." Kurt rolled his eyes "With simple innuendos I can deal. With 'I want to have sex with you', not so much! If you want to ever say that again you make sure you say it somewhere I can make it happen! Alright?"

"I can't find any… dammit."

"You… what?"

"Oh… right, I was just… trying to find that somewhere. Can't."

"Of course you can't! It's a beach! My point exactly. And you made sure that I was painfully aware of that fact, Mr. Anderson! That wasn't a very nice thing to do, making me even more sexually frustrated than I already was, which is saying something… Blaine, why couldn't you keep your mouth shut? Do you like to torture me, is that it? Do you want me to do the same? Honestly!" Kurt sighed "Come on, let's just say hey to my parents and mock Finn endlessly so I can at least attempt to forget what you just said. Try not to look at my father like you've just told his son you want to sleep with him."

Kurt turned on the spot and made the rest of the way towards his family, leaving Blaine rooted to the spot, bright scarlet, almost as bad as Finn. Now he was certainly going to look at Burt like that.

_He did that on purpose, didn't he?_

xXxXx

"I'm stuffed!" Burt rubbed his stomach lazily after setting aside his fork "I need a walk. Who wants to go out for a coffee?"

They'd just finished dinner – the five of them, as Blaine had, once again, been invited over for yet another lovely meal. Kurt exchanged a glance with Blaine and, trying very hard to suppress a grin he shook his head calmly "No, I'm feeling rather lazy at the moment… But if you want to go, Blaine…?"

"No, no, I'm fine. I need to scale back on the caffeine, anyway." he offered a polite smile towards Burt and Carole "But thank you, anyway."

"I guess you three can go and have a good time. Blaine and I will clean up the kitchen, don't worry."

"Actually I need to stay here." Finn mumbled "I can barely move."

Thankfully everyone but Blaine missed Kurt's murderous glare towards his brother. _Biggest cockblock._

"Oh, right, sweetie, I almost forgot about that!" Carole eyed Finn with concern in her eyes "I should go by the pharmacy tomorrow to pick up some skin lotion."

"I have Kurt's for now…" Finn shrugged "Speaking of which, dud, would you mind spreading some on my back – I can't really do it by myself."

Kurt looked just about ready to kill him, but instead forced a smile and said, while getting up "Of course, no problem, right after we clear the dishes."

"Cool, thanks dude."

"Alright, then, kids…" Burt half groaned as he pushed himself to his feet "So, you'll handle the kitchen, right? Shall we, Carole?"

Carole quickly gathered her things, throwing them into her purse, before heading towards the door after her husband, They waved them goodbye and were soon closing the door behind them. Blaine got up and started collecting the dishes nearest him as Kurt returned from the kitchen where he'd just dropped the salad bowl.

"Oh, sure, Finn, no trouble at all! Of course we don't need your help, why would you even think of that? It was so nice of you to offer, though! Oh, well, but only if you insist!" Kurt was muttering irritably under his breath as he gathered cups.

"What?" Finn looked up from where he'd been eyeing his T-shirt with a mix of fear and frustration "I can't move, dude."

"And you still manage to screw up my life… Your abilities astound me!"

"Screw up yo– what?" Finn frowned at his brother, all confusion in his features.

"Never mind, never mind…" Kurt rolled his eyes, walking back towards the kitchen. Finn turned to look at Blaine who merely shrugged and smiled half amused, half sympathetic, before following Kurt inside, arms full of stacked plates.

"You might want to cut him some slack – it's not like he _wants _to stay in." Blaine smiled at Kurt.

"Oh, and exactly whose fault is that?"

"Geez, Kurt! Why are you acting like you're the one who can't breathe without burning your whole skin?" Finn sighed finally giving up from trying to convince himself to put on the shirt and getting up towards the couch.

"Yes, Kurt, why is that?" Blaine drawled after him, and Kurt didn't need to look to know a smirk was illustrating that tone of fake coyness.

He rolled his eyes and almost chuckled at Blaine's teasing. "Sorry, Finn, I'm just… frustrated."

"About?" Finn asked as he settled carefully on the couch, squirting dome lotion to his hand.

As his brother started applying the lotion to his arms Kurt threw a napkin at Blaine who'd suddenly burst into a coughing fit that Kurt knew very well to be an attempt (a poor one at that) at hiding his laughter. Blaine ducked the flying object and only coughed harder before nearly running into the kitchen.

"It's nothing, Finn." Kurt sighed "I'll be right back to help you with that." He shot Finn half a smile as he grabbed the last of items and took them inside, where he found Blaine chuckling silently while putting the dishes in the dishwasher. "You're impossible!"

"Why, just relax a bit, will you, Kurt? Why keep all this frustration inside?" Blaine muttered with a smirk.

"Oh, you think it's funny, do you?"

"I kind of do, yeah…" Blaine smiled "But I'm just enjoying karma doing its work."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You don't think I wouldn't see past your little games today at the beach? You were making it on purpose! Practically throwing yourself at me, while your dad was there!" Blaine hissed, though he was still smiling "You were just enjoying yourself a little bit of a teasing game, weren't you?… well, karma's a bitch."

"I was doing that because you did that first with your 'my instincts want to have sex with you' little speech! I was just illustrating my point!"

"And what was your point exactly? That you have the flexibility of a Chinese circus gymnast?"

"That everything is a lot harder to ignore when you're made painfully aware of it, especially when that happens in the worst setting possible!" Kurt snapped back with a roll of his eyes before smirking and adding "Well, that, and that you're incredibly cute when you're trying to maintain your dapper little self around my dad and fail miserably."

"I did not fail miserably!" Blaine gasped, though there was still amusement in his voice.

"Did too!" Kurt shot him a triumphant grin as he closed the dishwasher.

"No, I didn't! I was invited over for dinner, _again_, how is that failing? I wouldn't be alive if I'd failed!"

"You were stuttering like a madman!"

"And yet I'm still here! Come on, admit it, I did wonderfully well! I passed the test with flying colors."

"Conceited much?" Kurt snorted "You did not pass with flying colors, you passed it. So, I wasn't suggestive enough to send you running for a bathroom stall in your despair… But rest assured I will raise the bar next time." He said, his voice edging on threatening, as he turned to leave the kitchen.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh… I don't know, Blaine. What could I possibly mean?" Kurt smirked, turning around by the doorframe and leaning against it with the evilest of smirks.

"You know that two can play at this game, right?" Blaine raised an eyebrow starting towards him.

Kurt chuckled under his breath and leaned over as Blaine reached him by the door frame, grinning, self-satisfied, he kept barely an inch between them as he raised his eyebrow "Oh, bring it on!"

"Oh it's brung!" Blaine returned his defiant expression, leaning even closer only to walk away as Kurt was starting to think there would be a kiss.

"If you two are done playing hard to get and making me horribly uncomfortable and very painfully aware of why Kurt is so frustrated, I would really appreciate some help to put this freaking lotion on my back. Thanks." Finn's voice came muffled from where he'd buried his head in a pile of pillows, having laid down on the couch, on his stomach.

Kurt turned scarlet for a moment before exchanging a glance with Blaine and both of them couldn't help but dissolve into laughter.

"Sorry, man…" Blaine said after a while, as he plopped down onto the small loveseat by the couch and turned the TV on "Sucks to be you, today."

Kurt chuckled grabbing the lotion and sitting on the edge of the couch next to Finn "Like Blaine says, karma's a bitch. The amount of times I walked in on things I did not want to see because you and Ms. Berry never once remembered to close the god damned door just in case someone would come home early to the point where I would_ never_ come home early, no matter what…" Kurt sighed dramatically and squirted rather a lot of lotion onto Finn's back unceremoniously, without any sort of warning whatsoever. The taller boy nearly fell off the couch as he jumped and yelped.

"Sweet mother of! Fuck!"

"I'm so sorry."

"No you're not."

"No, I'm not."

Blaine snorted at the two brothers before turning back to the TV.

"You could give me a massage to make up for it" Finn moaned into the pillows.

"Make up for what?"

"Ice cold lotion on my burnt skin. _That_."

"Honey, not a chance."

"Rachel told me you give good massages. She said you gave her one once, in one of your sleepovers…" Finn mumbled. At this Blaine's interest was sparked again and his eyes were straining to keep focused on the TV.

"Rachel is right." Kurt said shortly.

"So…?"

"No. Do something truly remarkable and I might consider your case."

"Hey, Kurt…?" Blaine smiled finally letting his eyes leave the screen to fix them on Kurt's, glinting and teasing "Can _I _get a massage?"

"Of course." Kurt shrugged after barely a second, returning every bit of Blaine's mischief. So what Blaine thought Kurt couldn't handle the prospect of touching his bare skin without falling into a spinning whirlwind of sexual desire? Blaine wouldn't be capable of surviving one of his massages without starting to imagine what those skilled and wonderfully soft hands could do on any other body parts that weren't his back. _How was it that you put it just now? Oh right, two can play at this game, sweetcheeks._

"No fair!"

"Whenever you're ready, Blaine…" Kurt smiled, whipping his hands clean on Finn's discarded T-Shirt (it's not like that fabric can ever get any worse…).

"That would be now, Kurt." Blaine smiled happily hopping to his feet.

"Just go to my bed." Kurt instructed him "And take off your shirt, I'll be right there with the skin oil…"

"Hey, no funny business!" Finn cried from where he could barely move.

"Relax, Finn, it's just a massage. There will be nothing else happening, right, Blaine?"

"You betcha!"

"God… what the fuck…?" Finn mumbled into his pillow.

Kurt chuckled silently before taking towards the bathroom were his found his flask of sweet almonds oils and walking to his bedroom where Blaine was already laying down, on his stomach, shirtless, his hands folded beneath his chin.

_Ok, so maybe this is going to be a little bit hard. _

_And that was so not the right word!_

Kurt pushed those thoughts out of his mind and recollected himself. It was absolutely no big deal that Blaine was half naked, lying on his bed waiting for Kurt to put his hands all over him. Absolutely not. So, given that this was no big deal at all, he nonchalantly climbed onto the bed, moved to straddle Blaine, sitting comfortably on top of his ass (oh, was that a whimper Kurt heard?) and started to rub some oil on his hands before smiling and teasing "You know you're gonna be regretting that challenge in just about two minutes, right?"

"Just about as much as you are." Blaine chuckled, But there was strain in his voice and Kurt was more than pleased to hear it as he finally let his hands connect with Blaine's back.

_Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God! Finn is in the room next door. Finn is in the room next door. Finn is in the room next door. Finn is in the room next door. Finn is in the room next door! GET A GRIP!_

It felt surreal, that's what it felt. Not that he was allowed to touch Blaine like this – that he'd more or less gotten used to it; and not that he was in fact touching Blaine like this – he'd touched just as much when Blaine had come over for dinner and they'd ended up on top of the kitchen counter; it was that he had nothing else to pay attention too other than every curve and dip of Blaine's muscles, how smooth his back were, how his skin tone was verging on golden, how his shapes seemed custom made for Kurt's hands to slide almost effortlessly. What really made it feel so surreal, was how he had nothing else but the way Blaine's body felt beneath his hands to think about.

As you can imagine, that just made it worse. Granted, he was more than ready and willing to throw their little competition out the window and be the first one to cave and just make sure Blaine would not walk straight the next day, one way or another (ahem, too much? That was too much, wasn't it? Well, sorry, my darling, but no, I will not censor my narration of Kurt's dilemmas just to be all proper and dandy, sorry – deal with my lack of manners, will you?).

But the thing is, as ok as Kurt was with losing this one battle – and somehow for once in his life, trust me, he was _so _o-fucking-k with the idea of losing! –, Finn was still in the room next door. And as horny as Kurt was – and once more, trust me, if he hadn't been horny by that afternoon, he certainly was now – he still wanted his first time with Blaine to be anywhere near special. Sure, there was no need for perfection, he'd outgrown that much level of naivety when it comes to this subject (and no, that had nothing to do with how much he wanted to do all kinds of unspeakable things to and with Blaine's body as of early that afternoon – or, let's be honest, since they'd met); but he was not about to do_ it_ with Blaine for the first time while his very stupid and frustrating step brother was in the living room.

_Should I stop…? I should stop, shouldn't I?_

_Yes, Kurt, maybe you should stop. Just maybe… I mean, it would be no problem at all if you were to become… well… hard. Of course it wouldn't be anywhere near bad if you didn't stop, just look at the situation: it wouldn't be embarrassing, or basically losing your game, and it certainly wouldn't awkward at all or even the tiniest bit painful when you wouldn't be able to do anything about it. No, Kurt, continuing would be absolutely no hassle at all – but still, just to be sure there would be no problem we might be overlooking… you should probably stop._

_Just a thought, though, never mind silly old me! _

_And by 'me', I mean you ever loving, but oh-so-sarcastic conscience._

Kurt glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand. It'd been over half an hour now, since his parents had gone out. On a scale of one to ten, how awkward would it be if Burt got home to find his son sitting on Blaine, both of them on said son's bed, and the latter shirtless, while the former massaged his back and looked just about to add his tongue into said massage?

_Ten, you say…?_

And on a scale of one to ten how likely would it be that if Kurt were to continue he wouldn't really be able to control certain body parts?

_Ten, you say again…?_

And on a scale of one to ten how likely would it be that Burt would find this second point to be just as bad as the massage altogether?

_Oh, ten, again…!_

And on a scale of one to ten, how badly do you want to live, Kurt?

_Yeah… Guess you're right._

"Hey, Blaine… My parents could come home any minute now, so… maybe we should, you know, make sure to look a little less conspicuous."

"Are you sure that's the only reason you need to stop?" Blaine's voice came muffled from where he'd buried it on the pillow but the teasing was obvious.

"Positive…" Kurt muttered under his breath "Now get up and put your shirt back on." He sighed getting off of Blaine.

Blaine however did not move… not even so much as stir.

"Blaine, come on, we can go for a walk if you want… it's just I really don't want my dad to walk in on this…" _ironically, what would look like a sex riot to him is painfully little to me!_ "Do you want me to steal the remote away from Finn and you can chose the channel?"

"No… that's alright, I'm fine…" Blaine continued without even so much as flinching "I'm.. I'm good."

"You're good?"

Blaine raised his head from the pillow to look at Kurt with a strained smile "Yeah, you can… you can go watch TV, if you want. I'll just be here… doing… whatever…"

Kurt stared at Blaine for a few moments, trying to understand why he wouldn't – "OH! Oh! Ok… alright… cool…! I get it. Not a problem, Blaine, not a problem. You just come join us whenever you feel _up_ for it, alright?" Kurt smirked "I'll just be in the living room." Kurt brought a hand up to hide his laughter as he left the room, closing the door just in time to escape a flying pillow that had 'escaped' Blaine's hands.

"Is the fornication over?" Finn's dull voice came just as soon as the door clicked closed behind him, Kurt giggled but took to just shrugging in response. "Oh, and he's happy! Geez, awesome! That just makes me feel all the better knowing you were in the room next door…"

Kurt couldn't really bring himself to care. There he was, just about ready to admit defeat when indeed he was winning and he didn't even know!

Oh, let the fun games begin!


	15. Don't Need a Reason

_So sorry for the long wait! Like I've said before, I write them when I have time. I hope you like it… Reviews are amazing :)_

xXxXx

So does this mean I win? – K

What? No! -B

Last time I checked you're the one trapped in my bedroom waiting for the heat to die down. – K

And why exactly did you stop? Besides, I'm not begging. I'm not even asking! – B

Oh, you're not…? Oh, ok, then… I suppose if you don't want to… - K

WHAT? I'm not saying it THAT way! That was not what I meant! – B

Relax, Blaine, I was kidding! Right now only a brain dead worm would bet that you didn't want to! Ahah – K

Shut it Hummel – B

Just putting it out there. Oh, wow, bad choice of words. Sorry, my bad. XP Speaking of putting it out there, though, how is it looking? Finn's getting suspicious! – K

It's been safe for a long time now, Kurt… I didn't take Viagra, you know? I'm just trying to let the shame fade away. – B

How is that working for you? – K

It's not. – B

And how are we to determine the winner/loser of this little game we got going on? Is there even a goal? – K

I'm not sure. At this point I'm pretty sure we're just trying to torture ourselves. – B

So… we call it truce? – K

I guess… - B

Oh, wow, this was such a long game! How did we ever survive? – K

My point exactly. We would never survive it. At least now we can shamelessly flirt and not fear the outcome – B

I do love the way your brain works :) – K

Oh, you'll love the way some other parts of me work even better, trust me! – B

That's quite a promising statement. Are you sure you can measure up, dearest? – K

Oh, I'll measure up, alright. :D – B

Lol, you're impossible! I'm going to stop now before this gets out of control. Can you please com join us? There's no reason why Finn can't be scarred for life by watching us kiss and cuddle on the couch. – K

On my way! - B

xXxXx

"So, I was thinking, maybe we could stay at my place again tonight… Yesterday was nice, right? Even if Finn was there pestering me about his skin… What do you think? We could watch a movie, or-"

Kurt was interrupted by Blaine's cell ringing. The older boy picked it up and frowned slightly at the caller ID.

"Hi mom." Blaine held an excusing finger to Kurt who smiled and nodded, going quiet instantly and picking up his Vogue.

"Hi, Blaine, how are you?" His mother's voice was slightly nervous on the other line.

"Great, what's up?"

"Oh, I was just calling to… catch up…"

Blaine frowned slightly, he chuckled and got up from is towel, starting to walk towards the water "Ok…"

"How have your days been? How's the beach?"

"It's lovely. Everything's going great, mom. Really. How about the states? Everything holding up over there?"

"Oh, you know, it's ok. A lot of work. It's pretty crazy actually. You wouldn't believe the amount of cases we have coming through!"

Blaine sighed, _oh, that's what this is then…_ "Ok, mom, just tell me, you're not going to be able to make it in time for Deed's birthday, are you?"

"I'm doing my best, Blaine! I really am! I'm just not sure, yet!" She sounded almost pleading "I just… You should probably be prepared if I can't be there… You know, make sure she still has a good day."

"Mom! Don't you get it? She wants to be with you! Nothing I pull together will ever replace the joy of being with her mother on her birthday! Make an effort. I'm sure your office can spare you! You have interns, don't you? Delegate!"

"Blaine, don't trivialize this!"

"Don't-? Mom! You're trivializing your daughter's birthday! I'm trivializing your work! It's hardly even comparable."

"Well, when you work you'll get it."

"_Well_, I'm not working yet, am I? But you know what, I've had most of my birthdays trivialized by you and even forgotten by dad, and it sucks. I don't want Deirdre to go through the same."

"I'm not forgetting, or ignoring it! I'll buy her something nice!"

"Buying her something nice won't make her feel better! You think my car made me feel better? Don't do that, she deserves better than that. I deserved better than that, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna stand by and watch you two do the same to her."

"Blaine, don't be like that!"

"Mom, I know you make an effort . I really do. But you're wasting your energy. It's wonderful that you want to be able to provide for us, it really is, but we don't need most of the things we get – we don't need those allowances… We need you, mom."

"I can't just up and leave, Blaine. I have responsibilities."

"What about us? Are we always going to be second place? When you're retired it won't be your job that's going to be calling you to tell you how much it cares about you, will it?"

"That's… You're young, Blaine."

"Fine. Take us for granted like you always do! What if I have an accident and your last words to me were 'I'm busy, son, we'll talk about it later'? Or Deeds? Maybe one day…. You know what? No!… whatever, I don't care! Do whatever you feel you should do. I'm just…"

"You're what?"

Blaine chewed his lip before he sighed and rolled his eyes "disappointed, mom, I'm just disappointed. Bye."

Blaine didn't go back to his towel immediately, knowing he had lost all of his previous good mood and he needed a while to let his anger blow away. But then he remember this was Kurt he was with – Kurt with whom it was just so easy to talk to. He looked at him, a few dozens of feet away, lying on his stomach, his feet in the air, rocking back and forth, magazine in front of him. He smiled tightly, maybe the days when he would just bottle it all up and keep it to himself were over – maybe it really didn't have to be that way anymore.

He sighed and went back.

"Hey…"

"Hi, was it your mom?"

"Yeah…" He answered, dropping himself next to Kurt, lying on his back, and throwing his arm over his eyes to block the sun.

"You don't look happy." Kurt frowned, closing his magazine slowly.

"I'm not happy."

"What happened?"

"She's really busy at work so she won't be able to make it down here in time for Deeds' birthday." He rolled his eyes "Same old."

"Oh… huh… when's Deeds' birthday?"

"Three days. I'll just have to find a way to distract her from our missing mother, I guess." He shrugged.

"Oh…"

"I mean, is it so wrong for a child to have at least that one day when nothing in the world is more important to their parent's eyes? Is it?"

"Of course not." Kurt cooed, and Blaine could feel him moving closer.

Blaine uncovered his eyes and squinted slightly at the light before propping himself up on his elbows and turning to Kurt, who was still lying on his stomach, but had closed his magazine and taken off his sunglasses. That was his way of saying 'go on, I'm listening' and Blaine felt a little bit better with that. He let out a long breath and just let go of his frustrations "This isn't me being a spoilt brat, right? I'm right, right? It's not… I'm not… I just want Deeds to be happy, and I know what it feels like to not have them… be there. I mean, I know she's just trying to put bread on the table, but we have plenty… I would've understood if this was five years ago, when she was still trying to make a name for herself, but what now?"

"I'm so sorry, Blaine… some people just… aren't cut out for parenting, I guess. It doesn't mean she loves you any less."

"I know that, Kurt, I know she loves me, us… But Deeds is still too young. All she can see is that her mother would rather stay at the office working… She's our mother, and she would rather work than spend time with us on our birthdays? She shouldn't even need a reason to want to spend time with us, actually!"

"I'm sure you can work something out, Blaine."

"The point is I shouldn't have to work something out! I'm her mother and father, and it's exhausting sometimes. Not the work, don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly fine taking care of her, she's great most of the time. But it's exhausting knowing that it shouldn't be my job, and always trying to compensate what I know is missing! You know last year I actually went to a PTA meeting? How insane is that? And then mom calls and she's all 'I'm so sorry I can't make it' and I have to go all emotional blackmail on her, and that's just not right. I should not have to do that. Any of that."

"So, what're you gonna do?" Kurt's voice was careful and quiet, and Blaine knew he was fumbling for something to say. He couldn't blame him. There wasn't anything to say. It was just a shit situation and there was that.

"I don't know. I have to think of something else to surprise Deeds with…"

"Well, let me know if you need any help with it, will you?"

"Of course, thank you, Kurt."

"Anytime, Blaine." Kurt smiled before propping himself up on one elbow and leaning forward to capture Blaine's lips in a quick kiss.

xXxXx

Kurt looked over Blaine's shoulder to find Finn perched on the couch wincing as he covered himself in moisturizing cream. He chuckled quietly to himself before returning his eyes to the crosswords he'd been working on with Blaine for since they came back from the beach. They were waiting on Carole and Burt who'd gone out to buy food for dinner. Blaine had graciously refused the invitation for dinner, claiming that his grandmother would disown him if he spent another evening out. But he couldn't, however, resist Kurt's pleas that he stay there _until _dinner.

They had settled on working on crosswords while turning ideas over in their heads for something to do on Deeds' birthday.

"You know you look like a sixty year old couple, doing those crosswords, right?"

"You know you look like someone who is not going to live until their sixtieth birthday on account of skin cancer, right?" Kurt smiled back and Blaine chuckled.

"What're you talking about anyways?"

"Deeds' birthday… It's in 3 days and we need to figure out something to surprise her with."

"That's easy!" Finn shrugged "She probably wants a date with me!" he smiled to himself, proud at little display of wit.

"So funny, Finn, wow." Kurt deadpanned "Next time just try and be useful."

"No, wait, he's not half wrong." Blaine said, turning slightly to look a Finn with a smile "Maybe not a date with Finn, per se… But what is every little girl's dream?"

"A Barbie dollhouse?" Kurt shrugged.

"What? No." Blaine frowned half amused "fancy dinner parties. She's always complaining how we treat her like a little girl, so… given that it is her birthday, we could give her a little glamour." Blaine smiled "Think about it… nothing huge, just a few of us, all dressed up, fancy dinner… She'd be over the moon."

"Doesn't sound bad at all!" Kurt beamed "I can help you get her a dress! And I can do her hair and make-up. She'll love it."

"Yeah!" Blaine grinned, a mischievous glint taking over his eyes "You know, I could use some help, too… In the clothes department."

Kurt smirked, leaning against his chair with the grace of a cat and as he spoke it was almost a purr "Oh, do you now…? You need help finding something to wear?"

"Oh, no, I need help loosing what I'm-"

"Guys, I'm here." Finn's voice was defeated and pleading "Please! Easy on the sex talk. No massages today."

_Dammit, Frankenteen! Leave it to you to ruin class A flirting._ "Sure thing, bro." Kurt sighed, sending Finn a look that could kill.

Blaine chuckled "Sorry, Finn. I forgot you were here." He smiled as he got up "I should go, anyway."

"What? No! My parents aren't even here, yet!" Cue the sound of the front door opening and Burt's laughter loud and unmistakable. _Damn you, Universe!_

"Thanks for everything, today." The curly haired boy looked at Kurt with that look on his face, it just transpired honesty and affection, and no, Kurt's heart did not just start beating faster because of it.

"Anytime." He breathed. Kurt watched as Blaine finally looked away, his mesmerizing hazel eyes landing on the new arrivals. It was a few seconds before Kurt actually managed to think and realize Blaine was bidding them good night and starting towards the door. _No! What are you doing? Just five more minutes! Where's your snooze button, dammit? Just…_ "Wait!" he nearly shouted, and immediately felt the heat crawling up his face "I mean, wait," he repeated calm and collected now "I'll walk you to your door."

"Oh… to my door?" Blaine frowned.

"Yeah, you two still need a few minutes to get dinner ready, right?"

"Yeah," Carole was quite nearly beaming "go ahead, sweetie."

"Ok, I'll be right back." Kurt said quickly, before grabbing Blaine's hand and tugging him outside.

"Not that I'm complaining, trust me, I'm really not… but why?"

"I just… wanted to be with you just a little bit longer, that's all." Kurt smiled, rubbing his thumb affectionately over Blaine's hand. He looked at their intertwined hands for a brief moment before turning back to meet Blaine's eyes "I don't need a reason to want to be with you, I just want…"

"Oh…" _is that a blush? Oh my God, that's totally a blush! I just made him blush!_ "I… feel the same." Blaine had that look again – that look of pure emotion on his face, and they were so many you couldn't quite pinpoint one word to describe it – there was gratitude, there was appreciation, there was sincerity, there was… so much – but if Kurt had to chose just one, he would go with beautiful. It was just that. He wondered exactly what it was he'd done or said to deserve something quite like that, but he couldn't bring himself to care when he didn't find it – having the privilege of witnessing it, and even more so, directed at him, was more than enough.

"Good." Kurt beamed proud of his little achievement, turning to look at the sky that still hadn't darkened completely. They fell into a silence which was, strangely, both comfortable and nervous. It was filled with unsaid words of affection here and there and as Kurt glanced towards Blaine he could see the boy still blushing ever so slightly, with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he chewed on the lower. That was when he remembered something.

_She shouldn't even need a reason to want to spend time with us, actually!_

Kurt's stomach tightened slightly. _Oh, so that's what I said._

He wanted nothing more than to kiss away Blaine's sorrows. Alas, such thing was not possible. Instead he settled for tugging at Blaine's hand, pulling him closer and, in a split second, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"You look adorable when you blush." If you're wondering why Kurt said that instead of trying to ease Blaine's pain… There was no point in saying anything else. There was no point in saying things that Blaine already knew, probably better then Kurt himself. There was no point in saying 'I'm sorry'. That wouldn't improve things in any way. But letting him know that there is someone who appreciates everything about him, even the little things – especially the little thing. And he chose to do so by lightheartedly complimenting Blaine's blush, because there was really no need for big, epically romantic speeches, there was no need for grand gestures – they didn't need _words_ for that. Why complicate things, when it was just that simple?

Blaine chuckled snuggling his face on the crook of Kurt's neck for a moment or two "Says the pot to the kettle…" he finally says, a twinkle of laughter in his voice.

"Ah, maybe we can just go around making each other blush and be one hell of a cute couple."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"We'll make the world puke with our cuteness." Kurt announced excitedly finally letting go of Blaine, to take a few skipping steps.

Blaine laughed at his antics."We'll give it cavities with our cuteness."

"We'll give it a never ending sugar high with our cuteness!" Kurt gasped.

"We'll give it diabetes with our cuteness!"

"We'll make the world be The Biggest Loser fattest contestant to date with our cuteness!"

"We'll make it get fatter than Jupiter with our cuteness!"

"We'll make it finally find out the limits of the universe with our cuteness!"

"We'll make it explode and cause a second Big Bang with our cuteness!" Blaine announced cheerfully.

Kurt stopped mid step, feigning horror "Oh my god!… we'll kill everyone with our cuteness."

"Shit."

xXxXx

Blaine lay awake in his bed. It wasn't insomnia, and it wasn't exactly lack of sleep either… it was just… he just didn't feel like sleeping. He much preferred to think and daydream about Kurt. And you can't really daydream when you're sleeping, because then you're just, well, dreaming.

The thing is, in rational and logical thinking, Blaine should be upset tonight. He should. When something bad happens, it's expected that you feel upset. But he didn't. I mean, he still felt a little crestfallen whenever he remember his mother, but it wasn't what was occupying his thoughts, surprisingly. He'd think it would be. But it wasn't.

He could only think of Kurt. Kurt who'd listened carefully and quietly as Blaine vented about his mother, who'd actually made it possible for Blaine to feel comfortable about venting about his mother, who'd prevented Blaine from wallowing in self-pity and ager and get a move on for his sister's birthday, who'd immediately took it upon himself to help Blaine come up with something for Deeds even though he really didn't have to, who had pleaded and pouted for Blaine to stay for dinner, who'd so adorably sulked for five minutes because Blaine had had to say no, who chose to sulk by sitting at the dinner table doing the crosswords avoiding looking at Blaine at all costs, who'd stopped sulking just after five minutes when Blaine told him that 2 vertical was childish and he couldn't resist laughing when he realized that it actually was…

Kurt, who'd told Blaine he just didn't need any reason to want to spend time with him.

He just couldn't get Kurt off his mind.

And for the same reason he couldn't stop the smile that would, inevitably, stretch itself upon his lips every fifteen seconds. Every time that he would remember the look of pure honesty in his Kurt's eyes as he said it. It made Blaine's heart soar to all new heights, because… well… how would_ you_ feel? Having the person the person you want say something like that and just knowing that it's actually true, that they mean it, that they truly want to be with you, just because…

_Hey, you up? – B_

_Yes. I'm making a list of ideas for Deeds party. – K_

Blaine beamed, rolling onto his stomach and starting to type a reply as fast as he could.

_You're amazing! :D You do know she's not your sister, right? You don't have any obligations! – B_

_Shush, I love organizing parties, don't take this away from me! Besides, she's adorable, she deserves it. – K_

_That she does! Thank you for everything, Kurt. It really means a lot. – B_

_I know it does, but it's not trouble at all for me, and even if it were, you'd be worth it – K_

_Ok, if I don't turn this conversation around I'm just gonna lose it because… well, because. So, with your permission I would like to have one of our little flirtatious innuendo battles. Is that alright with you? – B_

And he would too. He would lose it. And he just couldn't do it, because losing it meant that Blaine would irrevocably let himself fall in love with Kurt, and he just couldn't do that. Not this soon. So, he would just not fall in love with Kurt. He would like Kurt, he would be infatuated with Kurt, he would be swept away by Kurt. But he would not fall in love with him. Not yet. He was saving that, because some things get even better with time, and Blaine knew this would be one of those. So, when the time came that he knew it couldn't get any better he wanted to have a new word for it, a better word.

For now, others would have to suffice.


	16. Long Distance Brainstorm

_Ok, so for everyone sticking with this story, I'm so sorry for the lack of updates, the truth is, besides being busy, I really haven't been feeling much in the mood for this, and writing, especially this kind of thing, for me is all bout enjoying it and whatnot, so I really don't want to force it. I want to enjoy doing it… so the updates might be a bit slow, I'm sorry for that, but that's really not something I can control. I am working on something else though (my own version of Klaine season 3), but it's a little too early to start posting. This one should only have a few more chapters left._

_xXxXx_

Kurt yawned as he nursed his cup of coffee, holding it close to his chin, touching it as gently as if it was the most fragile and precious thing he owned. Inhaling deeply he savored the smell before taking it to his lips. He smiled as the hot liquid poured.

He'd stayed up until 3 a.m. last night texting with Blaine and brainstorming for Deeds birthday (the whole thing was coming out perfect if he might say so). So he was a little behind on sleeping hours. He wouldn't if it hadn't been for Finn, though. Since the sunburn the Yeti sized idiot hadn't been able to sleep much given that any movement would wake him up, and so he woke up earlier than usual. He did so with a very (un)healthy appetite for pancakes and had taken to pestering Kurt until he got up and zombied his way into the kitchen.

That's how Saturday morning found Kurt, holding onto his coffee for dear life as Finn sat watching him, expectant wide eyes, smiling like a child.

"Maybe you could watch and learn so I don't have to do it every time you want pancakes." Kurt muttered putting the mug down.

"Ok!" Finn hopped off his chair "What do you need me to do?"

"Could you get me the flour?" Kurt asked as he gathered a few eggs from the fridge.

"The…? I… I don't see any flowers around… sorry. And why do you need flowers to make pancakes? Is it like a setting the mood thing?"

Kurt stopped halfway towards the cooker, eggs in hand, to stare at his step-brother, horror struck his features.

"What? What did I say?"

"Never mind." He gasped, trying to shake away the shock "Just go back to staring." Kurt mumbled, still shaking his head in disbelief. _Well, it's my fault anyway… the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet and I wasn't thinking right… to ever assume Finn knows what flour is! HA!_

Finn frowned slightly but shrugged and went back to his chair. "So, Kurt, have you thought about what you're going to do when we get back?"

"What do you mean?" he drawled out while cracking the eggs and pouring them into the bowl.

"I mean, you have four days left here… before we head back to the states… to civilization, as you'd say. Meaning, you have four days left with Blaine…"

_Oh, Finn… wake me up, beg me for pancakes, and torture me. Yes, Finn, that's exactly the way I like to be treated!_ "I don't know, Finn… I haven't really thought about it. I guess we'll use skype."

"How long will it be before he goes back?"

"I don't know… Two months, I think…" Kurt sighed "Honestly, why are you making me think about this at all, let alone so early in the morning?"

"I just… I'm just wondering. I'm worried, I don't want to see you sad, that's all."

Kurt rolled his eyes and took a deep breath "That's sweet, Finn, but I'm in a state of denial about that and you're making it hard to stay in denial… I like denial. It's easy, it's fun, it's blissful ignorance. Let me keep it that way, ok?"

"Ok…" Finn shrugged, looking only slightly dejected as he understood Kurt's uneasiness about the topic. They kept quiet for a while before Finn scratched his neck, grimacing slightly "It's just that… I… I was also thinking maybe you had ideas I could use with Rachel… you know, because we…"

Kurt really wanted to bitch slap himself right at that moment. Of course! Of course nobody really understood what Kurt was going to be going through like Finn or Rachel would. _Oh, now I just feel guilty for snapping – or is it still just lack of caffeine?_ "Oh… yeah, right, sorry Finn… I didn't think about that."

"That's alright…"

"Tell you what, I'm calling Blaine to see if he wants to come over for breakfast, because we have some ideas to run through for Deeds birthday, and we'll talk about it… all three of us. It'll be like a long-distance methods brainstorm."

"Awesome, dude! Thanks!"

"No problem. But then, would you mind if we waited for Blaine to make these" he gestured towards the pancake dough "and I take a shower first instead?"

"No, dude, go ahead!"

"Ok, be right back." Kurt smiled as he made his way back towards his bedroom, picking up his iPhone at once.

xXxXxXx

"And then she goes and says 'but you're just ten!' and I'm like 'na-ha! I'm almost eleven!' and that totally shut her up." Deeds finished triumphantly.

Blaine smiled slightly as he finished towel drying his hair and threw it over his shoulder "Why even bother paying any attention to girls like that, Deeds? Just ignore her…"

"She was being totally mean!"

Blaine rolled his eyes "The worst thing you can do to mean people is ignore them, not fight back – that's exactly what they want. You're giving them the attention they want! What you do is you treat them like they don't matter at all." he finished sagely, pulling a light green shirt over his shoulders. Deeds opened her mouth to retort but was promptly cut off by Blaine's cell phone ringing. He smiled as he saw the caller ID. "Hey you!"

"Hey!" Kurt's voice came cheerful "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No, of course not… Like I said, Deeds always takes care of that…" he chuckled "What's up?"

"I was just calling to ask if you'd want to come over for breakfast… Finn begged me to make him some pancakes and I thought maybe you'd be up for it… but if you're busy or you alre-"

"I'd love to!"

"Really? Ok… So, I'll see you in… what? Twenty minutes? I still have to take a shower…"

"Alright, twenty minutes it is." Blaine chuckled "See you soon." He smiled as he hung up "Hey sweetie, I'm going over to Kurt's for breakfast, ok? I need you to stay here and keep grandma company…"

"Yeah, yeah… I know you just want me not to go so you can be alone with him and all lovey-dovey. You don't fool me, Blaine Anderson." She smirked as she talked, and her words, mixed with her tone and expression had Blaine in stitches.

"You're absolutely right!" He chuckled "Now, if you'll excuse me, miss."

Blaine picked up his wallet and keys, pocketed them, along with his cell, and quickly left the room, jogging down the stairs. He should probably go buy them something – the amount of food that family had provided for him so far was insane – it was only fair that he would find something to contribute with.

After ten minutes of browsing he finally settled for a box of traditional pastries and happily marched off towards Kurt's. Finn opened the door smiling.

"Hey dude, what's up?"

"Hey!" Blaine smiled up "Here, some delicious stuff."

"Thanks, man! Come on in." He took the box from Blaine's hand and stepped aside "Kurt's still in the shower, but he should be ready soon enough."

Blaine smiled and nodded "So what's the plan for the day?"

"Same as every day, I guess…" Finn shrugged "I think mom and Burt want to try out some beach a bit farther, though."

"Sounds nice."

"Yeah… Do you want some coffee? Or milk? Juice? Tea?"

Blaine couldn't help the chuckle "coffee would be great."

"Ok!" Finn grinned and wandered over to the sink where he turned on the tap to pour some water.

Not five seconds after and a loud, screeching yelp came from the bedroom "AHHHH! COLD!"

Finn and Blaine stopped moving altogether and stared at each other with alerted wide eyes.

"FINN YOU BRAIN DAMAGED-" Kurt stopped in his tracks as his eyes fell on the boy standing next to the brain damaged gorilla "Blaine!"

"Hi!" Blaine gasped. _I'm so not ready for this. It's too early. I'm definitely not ready for this. So fucking early. No! Bad word, Blaine! Bad word! Don't say fuck- Fuck! Oh dammit! Shut up! Shut the f- Oh God! Just close your eyes._

He couldn't, though… No. Kurt was standing there, completely naked – only a towel hastily wrapped around his hips, looking just about ready to fall off – dripping wet, his hair falling in front of his face and eyes in the most stunning way, the water drops running down his torso like… "Dude, stop staring!"

Blaine shook his head at the feel of Finn's hand on his head, forcing it to turn around. _I don't get it, I see him like this most days at the beach… why does this have to make my brain melt? Because he's not wearing anything under that towel, because this is not the beach – this is how he looks when he gets off the shower, this is how he'll look when he comes over to my place and we… do it and he asks to use the shower afterwards, this is how he'll look when I decide to join him in said shower... Yes… that's probably why._

"Huh… right… sorry." Blaine muttered "Hey…"

Kurt was bright red, tightening his hold on the towel. He merely looked back in shock for a few seconds before finally regaining some sort of composure "Hi, you came fast."

_You… came… fast…_

"Huh… R-right… huh…"

_Yes, yes you did, Blaine…_

"I mean… I didn't… Oh… fuck it!" Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes giving up entirely on pretending there was not tangible sexual tension in the room that exact moment "Finn! You do not use the hot water when someone's taking a shower!" he shot angrily before turning on the spot and trodding back to his bedroom.

XXxXx

Kurt smiled as he felt Blaine rest his chin on his shoulder, looking over it to the pancake in the making. "That smells heavenly."

"It'll taste heavenly, too." Kurt smirked.

"Modest much?" he teased, wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist.

"Realistic. We've been through this. It's realistic when you know it's true, not cocky."

"Ahh, but that's not what I said. The opposite of modest isn't cocky. Modest is someone who knows he can do something but does not brag about it. Therefore, the opposite of a modest person would be a show off."

Kurt chuckled "Good thing I want to be a performer, then."

"I guess so." Blaine smiled, burying his nose in the crook of Kurt's neck and nuzzling affectionately before pulling away and unwrapping his arms from around Kurt just as the latter flipped that last pancake on to its respective plate.

"Help me take this inside."

They set down the plates carefully and Kurt brought some melted chocolate and different types of jam, so that each could have his own topping of choice. Obviously only Kurt didn't go for the chocolate, choosing raspberry jam instead.

"So, how's Deeds' party coming along?" Finn asked, his mouth full, which made Kurt frown in disgust.

"Great… We've decided that I'll shop for her dress tomorrow and then, on Monday, Blaine will spend the day with her at their special beach" Kurt smiled briefly because it was also Blaine and his special beach, after all. Blaine did not miss the smile and he returned it immediately "while I make all the food, maybe enlisting Carole's help, and when she comes home with Blaine, voi-lá, surprise-surprise!" He smiled proudly.

"Sounds nice, who's coming?"

"Well, us four" Blaine started, squinting slightly "My grandma and two of her closest friends and respective granddaughters. So that would be 9 people."

"Cool…" Finn shrugged taking a bite. "So… isn't it the day after that that we head back to Lisbon?"

"Yeah…" Kurt sighed "dad said we'd go Tuesday after dinner, so we can still have that day of beach…"

"You'll come with us, right?" Finn turned to Blaine.

"Yeah, of course… I can't really waste any time I have left, can I…?" he smiled, though there was some bitterness quite obvious behind it. Kurt pressed his lips tightly together and looked at his own breakfast. They hadn't really talked about it much – only mentioned it a couple of times; or, even when the conversation was fairly serious, they would touch it, but never dwell on it. He didn't know how Blaine actually felt about it. It seemed he looked as apprehensive about it as Kurt. Was that a good or a bad thing?

"I guess not." Finn chuckled "So, have you thought about how you're gonna do it… I mean, you guys will still… you know… be together… right?"

"Yeah." Blaine and Kurt both said at once and blushed slightly upon realizing their urgency. Blaine cleared his throat before continuing, smiling shyly "I mean, I want to. I guess we'll have to see. But I think we'll probably just try to skype everyday… right?"

"Right…"

"It's just that…" Finn ran a hand through his hair before continuing "I don't know if Kurt's told you this, but my girlfriend is going with Kurt to New York, and I'm super happy for her because it's what she's always wanted… but I really love her and I don't want to leave her, or lose her… and… well, they say long distance never works, but I need it to work, you know?"

Oh, how Kurt wished he had recorded that. "Finn, I've told you a hundred times, you'll make it work."

"Yeah… I know… I'm just… I'm scared. I don't know what to do. I can skype, sure, but that's not really enough…"

"Well, you can also send her a letter every month… Just write her every month for as long as you can, telling her what you love about her… You can, like, devote each letter to something in particular that makes your heart go faster." Blaine quipped "That's pretty romantic, right?"

Kurt practically swooned._ Note to self: Write letters to Blaine._

"It's still not the same as having her come over to watch a movie or go out to dinner and a walk… or calling her up whenever I'm bored so she'll come over and we'll just go grab a bite or practice duets for Glee Club... or have her come to me each time she has a new song ready... Just… the small things, you know?"

Blaine and Kurt exchanged a glance. No, they didn't know. Because all they had to dread was a couple of months… and you know what? Two months? It flies by… Finn and Rachel were looking at, at least, a whole year apart, safe for the sporadic vacation here and there.

"You can still watch movies together, via skype or phone… I guess…" Kurt winced slightly "Listen, Finn, I really don't know what to say that I haven't already told you. Nothing good in life comes easy, so… just do your best and everything will be alright."

"I'm just scared. What if she meets some guy… Someone like Jesse."

"She chose you over Jesse, Finn, why would she fall for someone like that when it's already pretty clear she wants you…?"

"Well, ok, then, what if she meets someone like me, only he's there, in New York, and I'm not."

"You're one of a kind, Finn, you're special and irreplaceable…! Well, at least to her. She sang My Man for you at Prom, how much more proof can you ask for?" Kurt rolled his eyes "So what you have to do is make sure your connection doesn't break. You get her, somehow, and she gets you. So, what you've got to do is make sure each and every bit of time you got with her is special, and when you're not physically together just… make sure you're together on other levels. Like Blaine suggested, text her so you can keep a conversation going, write letters to each other, send her a care package every once in a while, surprise her with a visit or two to New York…"

Finn drank in Kurt's words like they were water from the fountain of youth and he was an old dying man thirsting after days walking across the desert. Blaine smiled, slipping his hand into Kurt's under the table.

"Dude, I don't know you very well, and I certainly don't know this Rachel girl, but surely you can work it out. If you ever need any help with anything, just give me a call."

"Thanks, dude."

xXxXx

After breakfast Blaine and Kurt went their separate ways, Blaine staying at his usual beach with Deirdre, and leaving early to buy some party supplies (he was a firm believer in early preparations) while Kurt followed his parents and Finn to a beautifully long beach. After reading for most of his time there he went for a long walk with Finn and they continued discussing ideas for Finn's soon to be long distance romance, and even for Finn's future. It was awkward having his own future all thought of, while Finn barely had one certainty. It was a thin line between being helpful and sympathetic and treating Finn like a pitiful basket case.

Kurt did not miss the loving smiles Carole sent his way every once in a while and he could only smile back and shrug easily as if trying to say it was no trouble at all.

Finally they went back home for dinner, and Kurt sighed happily when a knock came at the door. He opened it to find Blaine smiling and leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey…"

"Hi!" Kurt beamed.

"How would you and Finn like to come over for some desert?"

"Finn…?"

"Someone needs to keep Deeds' company, Kurt… and it certainly won't be me or you." He wiggled his eyebrows and Kurt had to chuckle at that.

"Right, right. I'll just go ask him then, shall I?"

Finn was quick to accept the invitation, while Burt and Carole told them to come home at decent hours and settled for watching a movie. They stormed inside in a fit of laughter as Kurt and Finn re-enacted Santana's Junior Year post-Nationals freak out. Deirdre was quick to find the source of the ruckus and grinned broadly before tackling Finn in one mighty hug.

They sat for a while, around the coffee table, stuffing their faces in cake (well, Kurt was most certainly not stuffing anything into anything).Finn found a bag of party balloons which he started to mindlessly entertain himself with, blowing them up and then letting go. Deeds laughed just as excitedly every time. He would every once in a while tie one up and leave it rolling lazily around the living room floor.

Blaine took the dirty dishes inside and as he came back to the living room he was hit square in the face by a purple balloon. He was left staring at the giggling trio, Kurt and Deirdre hi-fiving. He sighed and chuckled, bending down to pick up the balloon throwing it forcefully back at Kurt. It was a balloon so, any speed he put into his throw was wasted energy as it floated gracefully towards him. Kurt smiled and punched it carefully throwing it back towards Blaine, who re-directed it to Deirdre. Soon they were playing with the balloons and the rules were simple: The balloon touches the floor, you die.

They did that for far too long to be considered normal, given that, out of the four of them only Deirdre was really young enough that she should actually enjoy such activities. But there they were, all four of them, dramatically saving the balloon as if their lives truly depended on it.

Deirdre had somehow ended up perched on Finn's back and Blaine was standing happily on the couch as he punched the balloon towards the hardwood floor. Kurt nearly did the split to get there, but, having been on the other side of the room just one second ago, he missed it.

"Damn!" he sighed, from where he'd collapsed on the floor. Blaine laughed and jumped of the couch to offer his hand.

"And thus, the world ends." He announced gravely, helping Kurt up "I must write this awful event on my journal! Care to help me with that?" He smirked at Kurt.

"Why, of course!" He grinned back.

"So generous of you…!"

"Well, it's really no trouble at all, mister, I could never leave you to such a task alone."

"You're quite thoughtful, I am a little tired of doing it all by myself for so long. It's good to have some help."

"I just_ love_ helping…"

"Just go!" Finns voice cut through their easy flirting and his expression had Kurt in stitches while Blaine bit back his own laugh, turning a dark shade of red. Once again, they'd managed to forget everybody else.

Blaine shot Finn a quick thanks and hurried upstairs pulling Kurt behind him, the pair giggling wall the way. As soon as the destination was reached Kurt was pressed against the door and Blaine's lips were glued to his neck. The giggles dissolving into heavy, hungry breathing. "Blaine…" Kurt sighed as he felt the other boys arms circling him tightly pressing their bodies impossibly close. He pushed them away from the door and until Blaine was falling on his bed. He could hear Blaine's gasps and moans and they were travelling directly south. "Oh God… Blaine…"

"Kurt…"

"Blaine…! Blaine…. Blaine." He sighed, the word rolling out of his tongue so easily it felt like he was speaking with silk instead of words.

"Closer…" Blaine moaned, one arm around Kurt's torso pulling him down, even closer, while the other hand took a hold of his leg.

"Yeah… Oh…!" Kurt gasped as Blaine flipped them over to straddle the taller boy "Blaine…" he moaned content with what the other boy's tongue was doing to his ear. But he froze as Blaine's fingers found his jean's buttons, and started hastily undoing them. "Blaine. Blaine! Blaine, wait!" he pushed against Blaine's chest, separating their lips and forcing him to sit back up.

"Oh… huh… ok…" Blaine mumbled, frowning "What's wrong?"

"My brother and your sister are downstairs…" We need to slow down… cool off… take it easier. I don't want to… with them in the same house."

"Oh…. Oh! Me neither!" Blaine gasped suddenly jumping off of Kurt "I swear I don't know what came over me! I was not planning it like this. It wasn't what I had in mind Kurt, I'm so sorry."

"It's… it's ok. You got caught in the heat of the moment, I get it… it's ok."

"No, it's not ok. I'm so sorry, Kurt. I know I'm always teasing and flirting, but I really want it to be special, not like this… not with your brother downstairs babysitting my sister and knowing what we're doing up here – OH MY GOD, he thinks we're having sex, doesn't he?"

"Blaine!" Kurt almost laughed "Relax…"

"Sorry… it's just… brain's still a little weak, I guess. Lack of blood up here…" ironically a shade of red colored his cheeks immediately.

"I know… I'm sorry, too… You're not the only one who got carried away. It takes two to tango. But you're right, our first time should be special."

"Good, I want it too. I want to be able to look back at it and smile happily, not feel embarrassed. We got something special and it's too early to cheapen it like that."

Kurt smiled and kissed Blaine's cheek carefully "Thank you…" he smiled.

"For…?"

"Making me feel special." He smiled reaching for another quick kiss.

"Oh!" Blaine beamed "I thought special was the word teacher used when they didn't want to tell parents their kids were dumb."

Kurt grabbed a pillow and tossed it at Blaine's face. "Oh, gee, thanks for ruining the moment!"

"Oh, well, you are special, though… the good kind of special."

"Yeah, so are you." He captured Blaine's lips in a careful, slow kiss, smiling into it.

"GUYS, QUIT MAKING OUT AND COME HELP ME OUT! I THINK TV'S BROKEN!"

"Finn, on the other hand, is not the good kind of special…" Kurt sighed, breaking the kiss.


	17. Condescending douche

_There are one or two things I like about this chapter, but I'm afraid it's mostly just a filler… I still hope you can enjoy a little bit of Blaine angst and some fluffy flirting._

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"WAKE UP, BLAINE! WAKE UP!" Excited squealing was the sound Blaine woke up to, but he had kind of expected that, given that it was Deirdre's birthday "Mom's here! Wake up!" oh… well… that he hadn't expected.

"Mmmwhat?" Blaine squinted at the light hurting his eyes, rubbed his face, and pushed himself onto his elbows. He probably hadn't heard right.

"Mom's downstairs, and Tommy too! They just got here! Hurry up!" she announced excited, before scurrying outside, leaving a very confused Blaine behind. He picked up his cell phone to check the time (it was little past seven am) and realized he had two missed calls and one unread text. He had started using his cell with the sound off because, most nights, he'd exchange texts with Kurt until the most ungodly hours and he really didn't want to run the risk of waking up anyone. It also had the disadvantage, though, that sometimes he would fall asleep between texts and not wake up.

He sighed, rubbed his eyes and finally got up. Looking around the room he found a T-shirt near him and pulled it on without sparing it second thought. Still quite groggy with sleep, and still needing to rub his eyes every half a minute he made his way downstairs, while wondering what the hell his mother and his brother were doing there.

He could hear their voices so he knew he hadn't misunderstood Deirdre. As he turned the corner he saw the pair of them sitting happily with Deirdre, their luggage still by the door. Deirdre was entertaining herself ripping a gift-wrapped box open.

"Guys…? What…?"

"Oh, hey, Blainers!" Tom greeted cheerfully hopping off his seat and enveloping Blaine in a quick hug, with two manly slaps to his back. Blaine barely managed to return the hug, still wearing that same confused expression that'd been glued to his face the moment he woke up.

"Hello, Blaine." His mother was still sitting on the couch, but as Tom moved back to sit she got up, much more gracefully than her son, smiling. It was one of those smiles that contained a lot of words, but I suppose if one had to chose just a few words it would definitely be 'I'm sorry', followed closely with 'You were right'. "Having nice dreams, sweetheart?"

"Mmmm. Hi, mom…" he mumbled, accepting her hug. He felt as she lingered a bit, nose buried in the crook of his neck "I thought you said you wouldn't be able to make it."

"I managed… I only got a week though…" she explained.

"Better than nothing. A lot better." Blaine smiled in return, pulling away and starting towards the kitchen.

"What's this your sister tells me about you getting yourself a boyfriend over here?" She mused after him.

Blaine froze, a slice of bread on one hand, and a slice of cheese on the other "Huh…"

"So it's true…?"

"What? Blainers, for real?" Tom smirked "You player! Enjoying yourself a little summer fling, are you?"

"No!" Blaine sighed resuming to making his breakfast "It's not a summer fling, Tom. He goes to NYU, too. We just… happened to meet here."

"Oh, it's such a small world, dear." His mother smiled, coming closer while Tom distracted himself with Deeds "So, what's his name?"

"Kurt, he's a freshman."

"Was he coming over for Deeds' birthday?"

"Yeah, and his step-brother, too. They've been helping out with things, and Deeds' kind of loves them, so I thought it's be fun."

"Sounds lovely, but I was hoping to spend the day with my children, and hmm…"

"Mom, of course. I'll just call Kurt and ask for a rain-check. He'll understand…"

"Great! Although, why don't you invite them over for dinner, then?" She smiled, but upon Blaine's stuttering indecision she added "Don't stress over it, Blainey, it's not a 'meet the in-laws' kind of thing, it's just that I suspect Deirdre would love to have her friends over, and she did seem awfully excited about your new 'awesome' boyfriend. No pressure! Do tell him that when you invite them over."

Blaine took his time swallowing before finally saying – as tone-less as he could "Ok." He took another bite, turning away from her finally releasing his horror onto his facial expression "I'm just gonna go get dressed… be right back."

xXxXx

"Mmmm…. Yeahh… Oh, god, yeah! Right there!"

"Finn. Please shut up." Kurt sighed, stilling his hands.

"Mmm?"

"Finn, if you want me to give you a massage while putting your lotion on, you can't make those noises."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm not Rachel." Kurt rolled his eyes "Now shut up, or get up."

"I'll shut up, I'll shut up!"

"Good for you." Kurt sighed, starting massaging Finn' back again. As he did, though, his cell started to ring. "Sorry Finn, I guess the world has other plans for you, this morning…" Finn grunted in frustration as Kurt picked up his phone "Kiwi!"

Blaine let out a small snort of laughter on the other end of the line "Ok… so, what's up?"

"You called me, Blaine, you're the one up to something." Kurt smiled closing the bathroom door behind himself.

"Right, right. Listen, Kurt, good news, I guess… My mom and my brother just got here. They flew in last night, I suppose, and surprised us."

"Oh! That's great! I bet Deeds's besides herself with joy!"

"You bet right. Listen, I know you'd planned your day according…"

"Blaine, don't even mention it, of course you'll want to spend the day in family. We still have tomorrow, so I'll just..."

"What? First, I'm still going to Lisbon with you guys… second, well, yes, we will spend the day as a family but you and Finn are still invited for dinner."

"Oh… with… your mom?"

"It's not like that Kurt, relax. It's not a meet the in-laws kind of thing. It's a you're invited to my sister's birthday party because she absolutely adores you and your brother kind of thing."

"Well, hum, sure, I'll just let Finn know."

"Yeah, so… hum…. Have a nice day… see you later."

"Yeah, see you later!"

xXxXx

"Do…. You have any fours?"

"No. Go fish…" Kurt smiled triumphantly. Yes, he did have two fours. No, he would not give them to Finn.

"So, Kurt, is Blaine still going to Lisbon with us?" Carole interrupted their game, sitting down right next to Kurt and frowning just slightly as she noticed he had fours.

"Yes, yes, he said so, this morning, so I supposed that still stands."

"So, do you know if he's got anything planned? Your father and I could always whip up some kind of plan…"

"I'll talk to him tonight, and I was thinking he could maybe spend a little while tomorrow with us so we could figure that out. I'm sure he'll know what's really worth seeing." Kurt said before turning to Finn "Fives, I want fives."Finn sighed miserably and handed the card he'd just fished from the deck. Kurt took it happily. "Eight…"

"No, go fish." Kurt fished out a nine.

"And how are things with Blaine? Looking promising?"

"Sevens, do you have any?"

"Hummm…. So far, so good, Carole…" he smiled shyly "Go fish…"

"Good, he seems like a good boy… And it'll certainly help your transition to New York to have a friendly face there who knows his way around."

"I suppose… Give me your fours, Finn."

"Oh man!" Finn whined handing him two fours.

"HA!" Kurt took out his own and gathered the four fours, placing them next to his groups of three and sixes. "Nines?" Finn looked absolutely defeated as he handed him the card. "Eight?" Finn smiled triumphantly as Kurt fished but his smile soon faded as Kurt held out an eight. "Jack?" Finn grimaced slightly handing him a card. "Mmm… shoot, I don't have anything else… Eight?..."

His cell signaled a text, and he reached for it as he fished out a third nine, smiling to himself as he took it.

_God, sometimes I forget how annoying Tommy can be! – B_

_Tommy? That's your older brother, right? – K_

_Yeah… He's a bit of an ass. – B_

_I'm sorry… What did he do… - K_

_He keeps insisting I should be doing pre-med stuff to go to med school and then specialize in psychiatry, because he thinks that's a lot better than psychology. – B_

_How is it better? It's different. – K_

_Exactly my point. – B_

_Good thing you don't live with him anymore, right? – K_

_Yes, thank God! What're you up to? – B_

_At the beach, playing cards with Finn, and beating his ass spectacularly. – K_

_You know, you take advantage of him way too much. – B_

_When life gives you lemons… - K_

_That is the worst excuse for being an abusive stepbrother I've ever heard :P – B_

_And yet it feels so good to win! (I just did) – K_

_Did you cheat? – B_

_I'm horrified you'd think such a thing! Who do you take me for? – K_

_Kurt Hummel. – B_

_Oh, ok, in that case… I heard that guy's amazing. – K_

xXxXx

"So Andie's been a little bit of a nervous wreck lately, and I took this chance to take a little break…"

"You're getting married, she's organizing the wedding all by herself, of course she's a nervous wreck!" Blaine rolled his eyes "Why would you even leave her alone like that?"

"Because! It's boring… I mean how many times does a person have to look at napkins, and wedding invitations and freaking forks… I mean, who the hell cares? It's just a wedding!"

"It's a once in a lifetime thing, and it's supposed to be one of the happiest days of your lives and magical… so yeah, she cares."

"Oh, you'll get it when it's your turn… Oh, yeah, congrats, by the way, on that law thing…"

"What?"

"Gay marriage, legal in New York… right?"

"Oh… yeah, thanks… I guess." Blaine sighed, hoping to God someone would come along and interrupt this. Every year his brother would manage to get a little more obnoxious and a little more condescending.

"So, anyone worthy on the horizon? Mom was talking about some guy this morning."

"Well, we just met not even two weeks ago… We did hit it off really well, and I'm super happy and thrilled, but it's way too early to think of anything quite like that!"

"Yeah, I suppose. Is he hot?"

"Hum…" _how is it that I'm stuck talking to my brother about this?_ "I guess… I certainly think so. You'll meet him tonight, you can see it for yourself."

"Is he older? I've always pictured you with someone older, like falling for that mentor type of person…" _Of, course, but of course you think I need someone to guide me through life, because god forbid any of us should be more mature and knowledgeable about life than you._

"Actually no, he's a year younger – he's starting at NYU this year."

"Oh, amazing coincidence! Small world, huh? So what's he studying?"

"He's going to study performing arts… You know, musical theatre."

"Oh…! That's… interesting." _Waiting for the jab_ "Is he like Tinkerbell, does he need applause to live?" _I was expecting better._

"I don't know, do you?" Blaine sighed, tiredly "Listen I'm gonna go for a dive, be right back." He hopped off his towel and nearly ran to the water stopping quite abruptly as it felt it freezing against his warm skin.

Oh God, Blaine could kill his brother sometimes. He was just such a condescending douche. Half the time he acted as if he was better than everyone else, and the other half he acted as if he knew better than everyone else. He had an ego the size of a football stadium. It wasn't even one of those "self-esteem is so low that he must overcompensate by bringing everyone down" – it was flat out conceited. Too much praising and gushing as he grew up did that to him. For once Blaine was grateful his brother got all of the attention, otherwise he'd probably be just as cocky.

xXxXx

"Hey!" Kurt smiled as Blaine opened the door. They shared a quick kiss, that only Finn noticed, standing right behind Kurt, before stepping inside. Finn trailed after smiling and looking awkward with a small wrapped package in his hand.

"Hey, dude." He smiled and Blaine smiled right back at him – normal people!

"Where's the birthday girl?" Kurt called cheerfully, and Deeds came shooting out of the kitchen into Kurt's outstretched arms. "Happy Birthday, sweetie!" he laughed, voice muffled behind her hair.

Blaine's mom and brother came shortly after and watched smiling, as Kurt spun her around a little bit before putting her down. Tommy mouthed "He's soooo tall!" to Blaine. Blaine frowned, confused and looked at Kurt… Yes Kurt was kind of tall… but… OH! Blaine almost burst out laughing "Mom, this is Finn!" he smiled introducing the obscenely tall teenager "Finn, this is my mom, and this is Tommy, my brother."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Anderson, Tommy." He smiled shaking their hands. Blaine kind of hoped his mother would tell him to drop the Mrs. Anderson, but she didn't. He knew she wouldn't – she liked it, made her feel important and respected.

"And this is Kurt…" He smiled, a small blush creeping to his cheeks as Kurt finally put Deirdre down and walked over to the more adult section.

"Hi, so nice to meet you both!" Kurt beamed, but there was something missing. His smile, no matter how big and shiny it was, it didn't quite reach his eyes. Blaine knew this was wrong in all sorts of ways but it made him feel strangely better – that Kurt was on his side that night, that he knew how his family made him feel and that he cared about it.

"Nice to meet you, too, Kurt." Blaine's mother smiled shaking his hand carefully.

Tommy shook it too "Be nice to my little bro, here, wouldn't want to see Blainers here sad, now…"

Blaine wanted to absolutely kill his brother, Kurt however, just chuckled lightly, as if he found Tommy funny and smiled "Of course, I'll do my best."

"So, dinner's ready, shall we?"

"Mom! Mom!" Deirdre skipped her way over, a box in her hands "Look what Kurt and Finn got me!" The box held a pretty necklace and an equally pretty and matching pair of earrings.

"That's so nice, sweetie. Thank you, Kurt, and Finn, you really shouldn't have bothered." She smiled and started towards the dining room, where the table was impeccably set "Tommy, Blaine go help your grandma bring out the food."

They all sat around the table and Blaine served generous doses of seafood rice (which was absolutely delicious) before sitting down, between his mother and Kurt.

"So, Kurt, Blaine tells me you'll be enrolling in NYU this semester. What will you study?" She asked, her tone of polite interest.

"Performing Arts… I'd like to do musical theatre. It's been my dream since I was an embryo."

"Oh well, good luck with that, then, Kurt. The business is quite hard to break into, but with a lot of hard work I'm positive you'll do it."

"Oh, I've never really been lazy, so…"

"That's good then." She smiled.

"Say, why do you want to perform, Kurt?" Oh, no, here it comes, that moment when Tommy decides to be part of a conversation and Blaine just knows it's not going to end well. He just hopes Kurt has enough sass to not fall into polite answers and truly give him a piece of his mind.

"I just love the thrill of being up on that stage, it's quite electrifying, and being able to be someone else for those couple of hours…"

"I guess that's nice." Tommy smiled and Blaine could see the condescending tone coming, his mouth still full "Someone's gotta keep the people entertained, right?"

Oh Blaine wanted to fake getting choked and needing CPR just to end this, and he was about to too, when Kurt's voice sounded clear and calm as ever "Oh…? You think that's all it is? Entertainment?" There was no edge to it, yet, everyone on that table was suddenly looking very interested between the two of them, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

"Well, it is called the entertainment industry…"

"That certainly doesn't meant it's all it is. These stories up there are about life, they're metaphors and they're relevant. Sometimes they can say things that otherwise couldn't be said, sometimes they can give hope to people who had none… The arts can save lives…"

"Save lives… I mean… Come on, they 're important, ok, but surely…"

"Surely they can, I would know, they saved mine. But, I'm sorry, I'm doing all the talking, what about you, Tommy? Why did _you_ become a doctor? So you could feel a little bit like God every day?"

Blaine hid his laughter behind his napkin, and he knew his mom got the message as well, the way she stiffened a little bit in her seat. He couldn't tell if she was mad at Kurt or amused, but he didn't really care. He didn't need his family to approve of anything in his life – he stopped needing that a long time ago.

"Hum… I just really wanted to help people."

"Oh, of course. Well, who wouldn't a job to save lives, right?" Kurt smiled, clearly knowing better than to push it further than that. Blaine gave his knee a light squeeze under the table and shot him a smile as Kurt glanced at him.

The rest of the dinner went by smoothly as Blaine tried to keep the conversation on Deirdre – the safest and funniest of topics. There was only an awkward moment when Finn was questioned about his plans for the future and answered he was still trying to figure it out - Blaine's family wasn't used to lack of planning, and Blaine had jumped in immediately to stop Tommy from offering his wonderful input.

After dinner they went out for coffee and Blaine relieved himself by falling behind to walk with Kurt.

"You were great earlier… with Tommy… He's long overdue for a reality check."

"He is a bit arrogant, isn't he?"

"Yeah… I'm so sorry he said that! About the arts, I mean! I'm so humiliated, I knew something like this would happen when my mom asked me to invite you over!"

"Well, it's not your fault. You didn't say it." Kurt laughed "If anything your face was priceless when he said it – you got all wide eyed and tight jawed, and I thought you were going to flip out and punch him or something."

"I was going to fake a coughing fit to distract everyone from that travesty!"

"That would just give him the chance to perform CPR and brag about it."

"Yeah, I need to think these things through…" Blaine smiled "God, he just makes me sooo mad… I always forget how much I hate him until I meet up with him. It's a bit like Christmas…"

"What you hate Christmas?"

"Well, I'm always like 'oh my god I love Christmas so much' for like the two months leading up to it, and I love the decorations and everything, but then Christmas week comes along and suddenly it's all stress and worrying about this and that, and what should I get this person, and should I even buy her a present… And then Christmas day comes and you're stuck all day long, if not allow week long, with family you don't really relate to and you don't really identify with, and you're bored as hell, and you remember, oh, yeah, that's right, I really don't like Christmas at all…"

"Oh, wow…" Kurt gasped "I… never thought of it that way… My Christmas are actually quite lovely…"

"You're lucky then, cuz mine are hell." Blaine shrugged "But I guess it's not really Christmas, it's more the fact that I kind of don't like my family and any occasion that forces me to spend time with them is mostly unwelcome."

"Well, there's the family you're born into and the family you chose, maybe you should start working on the second one… I've always thought that was the most important one." Kurt shrugged and smiled.

"I guess it is." Blaine watched as his family walked a little bit ahead of them. Tommy and his mother were walking side by side, deep in conversation, and a few feet behind Finn kept Deirdre company, walking calmly, his hands in his pockets, smiling as he listened to her. Deirdre was special, and Blaine's little shining star. She was someone he would gladly choose… his grandma too, and every once in a while his mom… But that was it, those were his choices. The other one… the others Blaine loved….But it was almost like a biological love – if these people weren't family, if he'd just met them at a party or school, he wouldn't stop to get to know them… he wouldn't be interested in the least – he'd just walk on by. His brother, his uncles, his aunts, his father… none of them.

"Penny for your thoughts…?"

"I was just… thinking who I would choose. If I cloud… The list isn't particularly long." Blaine sighed.

"That's ok. Mine isn't either." Kurt shrugged.

"Do you wanna maybe go for a drive?"

"A drive?"

"Yeah… we could park by me favorite beach, we never did get around to going there… I could show it to you, though it's a lot better by day… And we could watch the stars… The sky's beautiful when you're out of town… Maybe we'll catch a few falling stars, make a couple of wishes."

He watched as Kurt considered the suggestion. He knew Kurt knew what he really meant. And he was both excited and relieved as he saw Kurt smile "I'd love that…"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

**So how would you guys feel about the next chapter including smut? I'd crank uo the rating on this, and be a little more graphic…? Would that be ok?**


	18. The Good Cliche of a Backseat

The drive was quite silent. Not the bad, uncomfortable kind of silence. The good one. That silence that you don't feel like breaking, the kind of silence that's just so normal, and, mostly, so reassuring. Every once in a while a song would come on and someone would sigh "I love this song!"… they even sung along a couple of times. But for the most part, the drive was completely silent. Blaine parked as close to edge of the cliff as he could and they stepped out to sit on the front hood off the car. A strip of moon shone high above the sky, amongst beautiful twinkling stars, and to their left they could still see the lights of the town.

"This is so beautiful!" Kurt sighed.

"Yeah, it is… Sometimes I come here, like this, at night, to think for a while… it's just so peaceful."

"Do you need peace of mind tonight? If I wasn't here, would you still have come?" he wasn't asking for anything with that question, he was simply putting it out there. He liked how he felt he could talk about anything with Blaine and it would always feel simple.

"Maybe… I mean, my mom and my brother stress me out, but… I don't really feel it… not right now." He turned to look at Kurt, smiling softly.

Kurt returned the smile and reached for Blaine's hand, squeezing it softly before taking it to his lips for a light kiss. A shiver ran down Blaine's spine and Kurt sat up at once "Are you cold? Do you want my jacket, or do you want to go sit in the car?"

Blaine pondered for a second – he wasn't particularly cold, his shiver had been a response to Kurt's lips on his skin – but maybe this way they could… Yeah. "Maybe we could go inside the car…?" He hoped to his feet, not letting go Kurt's hand, instead pulling him along. He stopped just by the door uncertain. Should he go for the backseat door? Would that be too obvious?

Well, they both knew where the night would probably lead them, they weren't stupid. But still, one thing was to wordlessly know it, the other would be to actually acknowledge and talk about it.

He had to reach out now, for the door… It was time to make a choice, but Blaine, ever so genius, thought of the best way to avoid it. He turned on the spot and pulled Kurt even closer to him, pressing their lips together. He felt as Kurt melted into the kiss, into him, his arms slowly wrapping around Blaine's waist. With a couple of steps backwards his back were pressed against the car, and really… the way they were flush against each other, the way Kurt's hand were dropping dangerously from his waist to his hips, they way Blaine's lips detached themselves from Kurt's only to make their way through his jaw, to his neck… really, there wasn't a choice now.

He felt as Kurt's left hand left his hip, he would've complained, but a second late he hear the click of the car door opening and Kurt was pressing him to move towards it. Blaine scrambled his way onto the backseat, and Kurt wasted no time to climb on top of him. "Still cold?" he half panted, a smirk playing at his lips.

"Never was…" Blaine chuckled, diving to reattach his lips to Kurt's neck, where they belonged.

"Of course…"

Kurt's hands were pressed on each side of Blaine's head, holding him up, but, as he let himself press completely down on Blaine's body they were free to roam, starting high to Blaine's shoulders, moving down by his biceps, squeezing progressively more as they made their way through the forearm, until they stopped, holding Blaine's wrists quite securely. He pulled them up and Blaine found himself with his arms above his head. He stopped devouring the side of Kurt's neck to look at him. His blue eyes were blown and dark and his cheeks flushed and his lips were swollen and _holy sweet mother of… Gah!_

Kurt's mouth had, without warning, found its way to Blaine's ear, biting, licking and sucking… and it moved from there to that point where Blaine's quickened pulse was terribly noticeable. At first he was just kissing it, but as he started sucking, and then… what was he doing? What…? Whatever it was that Kurt's tongue was doing there, the feeling, it was going straight to Blaine's crotch and it was so incredibly tight right now. Kurt move his hands, so that only one was holding both of Blaine's wrists in place, but the other came teasingly down Blaine's torso, pressing just enough to feel every muscle moving as Blaine's breath became deeper and deeper. He stopped and lingered for a second at the hem of Blaine's shirt before slipping his hand underneath and moving it back up, taking the shirt with it. As he reached Blaine's chest he stopped for a second by one of Blaine's nipple, rubbing it before taking his mouth from Blaine's neck and licking and sucking at it. Blaine's a writhing mess beneath him, he couldn't get enough of these feeling, of having Kurt on top of him that way, making every inch of his body burn with desire. But he also wanted to touch and explore and taste him. Blaine's brain had ceased to function because had anyone asked him to chose he would never be able to tell you if he wanted Kurt to keep holding his hands, and to keep making of Blaine whatever he wanted, or if he wanted Kurt to let go so he could run his hands through his smooth, luxurious skin, so he could make them travel south and feel that ass that would surely be the death of him.

Kurt did let go, though, as he pulled Blaine's shirt over his head, and Blaine's action immediate. Kurt's clothes had to come off as well, and they did so impossibly fast. Blaine threw his arms round Kurt's torso and pulled him as close as was possible, their bodies flush against each other, skin on skin. I felt so ridiculously good to feel Kurt's shallow breathing against his own torso. As Kurt was held in place and didn't seem to be going anywhere, their mouths now fantastically glued to each other, all delicious tongues and heavy breathing, Blaine let his hands wander south and how god he was really so perfect it didn't get any better than that! Blaine slipped a hand under Kurt's jeans, and strike that was before, it gets so much better! Kurt's shifted in his position and their hips became even closer, and Blaine hooked his leg around Kurt's to make sure they stayed that was and he did he could feel his own erection brushing against Kurt's hip and he bucked, and he felt Kurt against his hip as well and oh god the friction and they moved their hips falling into a steady rhythm like they were born to do this.

And Blaine didn't want to push his luck, but really, who was he kidding, so he slipped his other hand beneath Kurt's jeans too, and beneath his briefs and he grabbed and it was perfect and Kurt was panting right now and Blaine knew he wanted more and who was he to deny Kurt of that. Kurt unbuckled his jeans to Blaine could move his hands so much more freely now. And then Kurt was unbuttoning Blaine's pants too and that tightness was gone and it felt so good and OH! OH! THAT-that was Kurt's wand on his erection, only the thin fabric of Blaine's briefs keeping their skin apart.

"Is this ok..?" Kurt muttered right next to Blaine's ear after a particularly wet kiss to his neck.

"Is… Of course!" Blaine gasped, bucking into Kurt's hand to make his point.

Kurt's shallow breathing stopped for just a second, his forehead resting against the crook of Blaine's shoulder, before his hand slipped underneath Blaine's brief and Blaine positively groaned at the contact. He wanted to do the same, he wanted to touch Kurt too, to hold him in his hand and pump him slowly and steady, like Kurt was doing to him but he needed a second to find his footing. "Tighter…" he muttered, finally managing to send his hands onto their new point of interest "tighter, please…!

He pushed Kurt's jeans out of their way and his briefs too, and he heard Kurt delicious high pitched gasp has he wrapped his hand around him. The way Kurt was breathing, right next to Blaine's ear was just about the sexiest thing he could have ever imagined and he knew he wanted to hear it so many more times, and often, too! And his voice, when he spoke, so low and ragged and short of breath, just sent jolts of electricity through Blaine's body…

"Do you… do you…." Kurt moved slightly, raising his head to look at Blaine, and once more Blaine was just overwhelmed by the sight before him, Kurt's hair was a mess, falling in front of his eyes, and there was just the tiniest bit of sweat tinkling on his forehead "want me to… suck you…?"

Oh, did Blaine really hear that? Was that real?

"Yeah…!" Blaine gasped, nodding vigorously.

Kurt shot him a smile and dove for a kiss, long and wet and for a second Blaine forgot what Kurt had just offered him, but then Kurt's lips left his and they were trailing their way south with open mouthed kisses, Blaine's could sometimes feel Kurt's tongue on his skin and it made the anticipation all the more greater. He lingered at Blaine's navel, licking it and driving Blaine a little bit more crazy, before looking back up, locking eyes with Blaine and smiling. He reached for Blaine's hands, kissed each on the palm and spoke carefully as he placed Blaine's hands on his head "I want you to set the rhythm."

"What…? I… really? I… can't… I don't want to… ch-choke you!"

"Blaine, set the rhythm. Please." Kurt continued to look at Blaine, waiting for his agreement and as Blaine continued to look as conflicted he added "I promise I won't choke…"

"Ok…" Blaine nodded nervously, threading his fingers more securely through Kurt's hair, as Kurt finally smiled and closed the distance, taking the head of Blaine's dick into his mouth and Blaine gasped at the sudden warmth and wetness around it because it was perfect. And Kurt continued to take more and more length into his mouth until there was practically nothing else to take in. Blaine was already having trouble keeping the moans and gasps to a minimum and then he felt Kurt's tongue, moving, adjusting itself to rest against Blaine's dick, and pressing in all the right places. Blaine's hands on Kurt's hair tightened and if it wasn't for all the feeling he was experiencing with Kurt's mouth around him he would have been worried and apologizing for pulling his hair like that. And then Kurt started to pull back again, hollowing his cheeks, his movement slow, but steady, sucking Blaine's dick and Blaine couldn0t help the noises he was suddenly making.

Reaching the head of Blaine's dick again Kurt's tongue moved against the slit as if trying to taste his Pre-come and was it possible to make Blaine even harder, because he was… if not physically then mentally… Kurt took Blaine again, all of him, and his tongue, his tongue, his tongue…. His tongue was pure magic. And it was only after a few more licks and suck, that Blaine felt it – Kurt's tongue had fallen still, but there was something so much better… he couldn't believe it! Could it be? Blaine needed a gentle squeeze to his hands to remind him, to start setting up a pace, his hands pressing Kurt's head up and down. It was slow at first, and he could feel every little thing Kurt was doing, and then Kurt moved one of his hands to Blaine's balls and he didn't even notice he'd sped it up. And then when Kurt started humming he was gasping for air between 'ohmygod's and 'kurtkurtkurtkut' and he really wanted to be worried about the speed at which he was pushing and pulling at Kurt's head, but he supposed at this point it was well-established Kurt could deep-throat and Blaine was in heaven.

He was about to come, he could feel it starting… "Kurt, Kurt, Kurt, I'm… gonna… I'm gonna…!" Kurt kept his mouth tight and warm and wet around Blaine's cock, the only give away that he'd heard and understood the warning was in a strengthening of the sucking and increase in the speed "Ohhesuschristfuckshitfuck!" Kurt swallowed around him and Blaine barely registered that fact, riding on the strongest orgasm he'd had in years. He didn't even notice as Kurt finished, releasing Blaine from his mouth and sat up, between Blaine's knees, one leg over his side of Blaine's, which were still covered with his jeans, having only been pulled down to his thighs – for some reason Blaine thought the whole thing all the more ridiculously hot.

Blaine felt a hand caressing his cheeks and opened his eyes, slowly, to find Kurt smiling at him. "I think you just killed me, Kurt." Blaine's voice was hoarse and lazy and he moved as little as possible to pull his briefs up.

"Is that good?"

"Is t.. Kurt! Were we in the same car?" Blaine chuckled quietly placing his hands on Kurt's legs and squeezing affectionately "It's great, it's amazing…I've never… it was perfect."

Kurt beamed and dove to press his lips against Blaine's shoulders in small innocent little kisses. Blaine almost laughed at the contrast, but as Kurt moved he felt something press slightly against his leg and he wanted to smack himself for allowing himself to be this lazy when Kurt was still like this. He pushed gently at Kurt's shoulder with one hand and let his other travel south, and he reveled a little in the gasp that Kurt let out before muttering "Let _me_ help _you_ with that, now…"

He kept his hand pumping carefully, but, at the same time, he maneuvered them so that Kurt was now properly seated in the middle of the backseat and Blaine was kneeling, between his legs, on the floor, at the exact middle spot of the car. He pulled Kurt's jeans down to his ankles and his briefs followed suit. Now, Blaine couldn't exactly deep throat (he'd tried a few times, failed miserably all of them), but he'd be damned if he was letting Kurt leave this place without at least trying to make him feel just as good.

He kept one hand wrapped tightly around Kurt and took him slowly and carefully in his mouth, his hand covering what his mouth couldn't reach. Blaine could hear Kurt's breaths become erratic and shallow and he started to suck and bob his head. He did a few trick of his own with his tongue that head Kurt reach for Blaine's shoulders, holding them incredibly tight, thank god he didn't bruise easily. Not long after he moved his free hand to cup Kurt's balls, like he himself had done to Blaine a few minutes earlier, and now he could feel Kurt's legs straining with pleasure and he could hear the moaning, he wondered if he's ever heard Kurt curse before, he didn't think so, but he realized he really liked it, and he wouldn't mind making them a regular occurrence.

But Blaine decided this wasn't nearly enough, if Kurt'd just given him maybe the best orgasm he'd ever had, there was no reason he couldn't have the same. So he paused, he looked up to find Kurt's wide, looking at him, half questioning, half begging – he thought being sexy could wait and hurried to lick his own finger from end to end and quickly returned his mouth to its place, resuming his sucking. His hand, however, did not stop at Kurt's balls, it continued, after pushing Kurt's legs further apart he found his entrance and Kurt's hands let go of Blaine's shoulder only to grab at anything and everything he could in that backseat – the fabric of the seat, the headrest, pushing against the ceiling… Blaine pushed carefully against it, feeling his finger enter Kurt slowly, engulfed by warmth and tightness and he couldn't help but wonder how long it would be until it wasn't just his finger inside of Kurt.

"Oh god Blaine! Oh go! Don'tstop!Don'tstop!Don'tstop! Please!" Kurt breathed out, eyes shut tightly, biting his lip so hard it was a wonder it wasn't bleeding "Faster!" Blaine complied both sucking harder and faster, and moving his finger in and out exactly in time. He could feel Kurt starting to lose it and he moved his finger to a different angle, crooking it, and "BLAINE! OH GOD! THERE! Oh God!" Kurt's hands shot to grab both headrest and if Blaine hadn't been a little busy he would've loved to admire how suddenly every muscle on Kurt's torso was not just visible but so incredibly strong, as he arms clutched on as if for dear life. "Blaine, I'm… gonna… c-come… I'm.. I'm… Blaaaine!"

Blaine didn't really know what was better, the way he'd come when Kurt was making him feel all those things, how he'd felt like he'd just died and gone to heaven, or hearing Kurt shout his name as _he_ came because of what Blaine was doing to him, throwing his head back and exposing every single defined muscle in his body looking so exposed, beautiful, strong and vulnerable all at the same time.

Like Kurt before him Blaine swallowed, careful not to linger on the now oversensitive skin. He leaned back and watched as Kurt took deep breaths, his head still thrown back, his arms still outstretched along the top of the seat, hands grabbing at the head rests, but he was relaxed now, melting.

Blaine smiled pulling Kurt's briefs up, before moving to join Kurt up on the seat. He propped one elbow against the top of the seat and leaned his cheek against his hand, watching Kurt, who still had his eyes closed and was only now regaining control over his breathing. Kurt's eyes fluttered open after a while – just as Blaine was about to teasingly ask him if he'd been so bad that Kurt'd fallen asleep – and he turned his head slightly to look at Blaine. They smiled to each other. "You're beautiful…" he sighed.

"So are you…" Kurt moved the hand closer to Blaine to run it softly through his arms "You're breathtaking, Blaine… I'm having a really hard time believing this is real."

"So am I…" Blaine murmured, capturing Kurt's hand and taking it to his lips for a kiss.

"This is a good cliché…" Kurt spoke after a moment's silence.

"What is?"

"Sex on the backseat of a car."

Blaine chuckled "With you any sex related cliché would be good, Kurt."

"No…" Kurt shook his head gracefully, only a small poking smile gave away his joke "Not at the beach in the sunset… too much sand in places it shouldn't go."

xXxXx

**So I know this chapter is incredibly small and all smut, but… well, there's not really a but, I don't have an excuse. I just can't think of anything to follow that up with, and I need to upload this before I start re-reading and re-writing, and I really can't do that…**

**So this is the first time I've actually like for real written smut – I usually just glazed over it and left it implied **_**a la **_**First Time episode… I hope I found some balance and this isn't just pure porn. I hope it's to your satisfaction any constructive criticism is welcome.**

**Like I said, I won't re-read this chapter like I do the others (I usually re-read stuff three times at least and never right after writing it), so there are probably quite a few typos and stuff. I'm sorry about those.**

**P.S.: I'm sure this right now is too much information but I think I should point it out before anyone asks: about the swallowing thing – most smut fics I've read make a big deal out of it, like it's a big favor people are doing each other by swallowing, or like it's a real big challenge. Honestly it's not hard at all so I've never quite understood wtf these people are on about – just sayin'…**


	19. Like Sugar and Spice

_Happy Valentine's day. I'm sorry it took so long. Hopefully this will make it up. It's a bit longer than usually. Almost finished (maybe one more chapter and then the epilogue…? Yeah, probably.)_

_xXxXxXx_

"So, where did you and Blaine get off to, last night?" Finn's tone was casual, just making light conversation and, used to Finn's inconvenience, Kurt managed to not roll his eyes in annoyance or send him a glare that said _Yes, Finn, point out that Blaine and I left you guys last night in his car, alone, and could have easily gone to a secluded area where we could have hot and undisturbed sex while our parents are sitting here merrily having their breakfast. That's wonderful conversation, Finn, just peachy!_ Instead he shrugged smiling.

"We went for a drive, to his favorite beach. It was really beautiful, but he said it wasn't even better in the daylight and that he kind of wished we'd gone there."

"Well" Burt said, swallowing the last bite of his pancake "We could go there today."

"Weren't we supposed to go to that beach with peach tree or whatever?" Finn frowned slightly.

"I was talking to Blaine's mom yesterday and she told me…"

"You were talking to Blaine's mother? When?" Kurt asked slightly startled.

"We went out for dinner and then we found your brother with Deeds and Blaine's mother and his brother were there too, and we talked for a little bit. Anyway, she said that beach isn't all that good for spending a whole day in… So I was thinking we could stop by it in the morning, have some lunch there, cuz she did recommend the restaurant there, and then we could go to that beach…?"

xXxXx

So I'll be going back to our first date… - K

Good morning! :) Is that so? Poor you, all that Post Traumatic Stress…. – B

Tell me about it! Oh will I ever survive that place with all those hard memories. – K

Hard? – B

God, Blaine, get your head out of the gutter! I'm sure there's plenty of better things you could do with it! – K

Are we playing some kind of innuendo game or is it really just me reading too much into things? – B

You're a big boy, why don't you figure it out by yourself. I'm sure you can do it, sweet cheeks. – K

No, really, I do so much better with people helping me get the hand of things. Oh, ups, hang. – B

That's a poor effort, Blaine. Why don't you come with me this afternoon and I'll teach you some. – K

Oh, yes, show me how it's done. Don't need to ask me twice, I'm coming. – B

Lol, that's a little better. Listen, a little bit more seriously now. We never got around to discuss it yesterday. I got a little… distracted. Are you still coming with us to Lisbon today? – K

Yap, I got all my junk packed and ready to go. – B

That was so good! A+ – K

What are you talking about? – B

Are you serious? – K

… :P – B

Ahhh, for a moment there I wondered. So, the plan is to spend our morning here at the peach tree beach, have lunch at the restaurant over here, and then the afternoon will be spent at your favorite beach. How do you wanna do this? – K

Blaine? – K

I was trying to decided whether to answer seriously or not. You were just begging for it. – B

Yeah, I kind of was. :P – K

Ok, but srsly, though. I hope it wouldn't be imposing, but my mom was actually thinking of going there, anyway, so we could meet up at the beach and I'd take my stuff with me already and I'd be ready to rock n roll. – B

Which beach? - K

The one with harder memories. – B

You're a fast leaner, I like you. – K

I do my best :) – B

Your best is fantastic, you should do it more often. – K

I'm planning on it, just as long as you're the driving force behind me, I'm sure I'll always find new ways to better myself. – B

This is getting downright filthy, Blaine, it's not even innuendos anymore! :P – K

I'm sorry, I meant that you would be the one riding me hard and making me want to do and be so much more for you. – B

Omg, Blaine. So much for you needing help with those! – K

Did I graduate top of the class? – B

You're on top, alright. – K

Well, with you as my teacher I'm sure bottom wouldn't be that bad either. – B

Oh, remember when I thought I was a perv for checking you out at the beach…? good times. – K

Oh, remember when I panicked because Diana stole my cell and texted you saying I wanted to make your hard and I thought you'd think I was a perv...? – B

Now we can both be perverts together! – K

And for each other. – B

Oh, god, this is all my dreams come true! Having a boy tell me 'Oh Kurt, you're amazing, you're making a pervert out of me!' :P – K

I'd agree, but that's not ALL my dreams come true. ;) – B

I hope I can help you with the rest of them, too, then. – K

You most definitely can! :D except one, though, that you can't do anything about… :'( - B

What is it? – K

Getting my idiot brother to shut his mouth and not offer is oh so smart advice – B

What's he saying? – K

At the moment…? Same old, same old… psychiatry versus psychology, his favorite debate. But there was that marvelous observation he made about your life-saving career, this morning. I forget now, but he implied it wasn't smart to have you talk like that near Deeds because it got her thinking it was ok to pursue artistic careers… God. – B

Oh wow… Well, listen, I'll be the bigger man here and just let it pass. I'm sure he has redeeming qualities, though. Focus on those… - K

xXxXx

"Blaine, are you sure about this…? Driving up to Lisbon for two days just to-"

"Mom, don't start." Blaine interrupted, already annoyed at the recurring topic. He looked at his feet kicking in the sand as they walked through the beach, trying not to glare at her "When I told you to come it was for Deeds' birthday, it wasn't for me. I'm done playing happy family. I'll be a long time without seeing Kurt and I really like what we got going on, so I'm going to make the most of the time we've got left before he flies back to the states. It's good thing you two came, anyway, so you can keep Deeds company."

"But we flew all the way here!"

Blaine eyed his mother tiredly, they'd been having this discussion since he got home the night before. "Mom, please. Tommy's getting on my last nerve and I'm doing my best not to fight with him. If I stay here that's what'll happen. And I really, really, just want to spent some time with Kurt, and you know how much I love Lisbon!"

"I'm not saying you can't go, Blaine, I just wish you wouldn't."

"Well, I used to wish for a lot of things."

"That's not fair, Blaine. I'm here."

"Yeah, you made it this time… But…" he rolled his eyes with another sigh "Forget it. I'll make it up to you… I'll stay home for New Year's Eve, for once. How does that sound?"

He looked at her, waiting for an answer as she searched for words "I'm… we're not staying home for New Year's Eve, this year, we've got plans already, I'm sorry. But we'll figure something out, then, honey."

"Alright." He shrugged, watching as a few feet ahead of them Deirdre started to wave frantically from her spot on Tommy's shoulders.

They were soon meeting the Hummels (or was it Hudsons? Or Hudmels? Maybe…)and sitting down only a little feet away, so they were close, but not entirely together. Finn and Kurt were talking by the sea, water lapping at their ankles and Blaine was quick to put his things down, yank his T-shirt over his head and join them. As usual the water was quite cold, but as the sand had been burning up beneath his feet, he quite welcomed the contrast.

"No, Finn, Iron Man is far superior to Captain America. Come on! Don't even say things like that!" Blaine frowned at the strange words coming out of Kurt's mouth.

"But I thought you'd like Captain America better… isn't he like, prettier or something…? Oh, hey Blaine!" Finn grinned and waved.

Kurt turned to smile as well and in what seemed like the most natural gesture he held out his hand for Blaine to take, which he did, immediately tangling their fingers together. He hopped on his tiptoes to peck Kurt's cheek "Hey you." He squeezed Kurt's hand a little "Did I hear you guys talk about Captain America and Iron Man?"

Kurt chuckled guessing Blaine's surprise "Don't act so shocked. Every Friday Night we have a family dinner and we usually watch a movie afterwards and every week one of us gets to choose it, and so, every four weeks I'm subjected to this kind of thing."

"He likes it, though…" Finn smirked, teasingly.

"Yeah, well, some have hot guys in them." Kurt shrugged.

"No, no, you like the sappy love stories in them, admit it!"

"I like the hormones in them and that's all I'm admitting to." Kurt held his head high for a second, as punctuation to his statement, before turning to Blaine "Speaking of which. Finn here thought that for some reason I'd be demented enough to think Captain America was better than Iron Man."

"Well, you said it yourself! You watch them for the hot guys, and Captain America, as far as I understand, is considered hotter." Finn argued "Isn't he?"

Blaine bit his lip to stop himself from laughing at how serious Finn was about the whole thing – like it was genuinely a conversation worth caring about "Well…" he started, tone as serious as Finn's "Conventionally speaking, I guess. But Robert Downey Jr has thing…"

"He's a sex god." Kurt shrugged "simple as that."

"Yeah, that." Blaine smiled "I usually go for the blonde, blue eye, fair skinned kind of guy – case in point" he gestured towards Kurt with a wink "but even I have to admit that Robert Downey Jr makes me appreciate my TV screen a lot better."

"Really?" Finn seemed genuinely surprised "Huh… Cool, I guess. I also prefer Iron Man, but I always thought you guys would go for Captain… Cool."

"Well, it's like… I don't know, who you want to sleep with, Rachel McAdams or Katy Perry?"

"Katy Perry!"

"Right, see, objectively speaking they're both pretty level on the looks, maybe Rachel is even a bit more conventionally attractive than Katy, but on a sex appeal level Katy has that… _something_."

"Would you like to sleep with Katy, Blaine?" Kurt smirked.

"I'd go straight for her." Blaine nodded "Isn't there anyone you'd go straight for?"

Kurt thought about it for a while "No, not really. I can appreciate beauty and talent, but there's no woman I'd want to sleep with."

"I really don't get that…" Finn sighed "I mean… girls are just so… and sex with them is just so…!"

While Kurt chose to stare at his brother horrified Blaine controlled his need to laugh "You think…? Oh my, Kurt, maybe we're missing out, sexually." He chuckled.

"No seriously, guys!" Finn urged to express the wonders of sex with girls and Blaine really did laugh this time, while Kurt muttered "Rachel's my best friend… this conversation is not ok."

"Finn, think about it. The things you guys crave about, think about it… which are they?"

"I dunno, blowjobs? I really like those, I don't really have to do much and it can be just as…"

"Oh god, please stop."

"Exactly. And what's the other thing that guys are always trying to get their girlfriends to try but rarely can…?"

"… Anal?" Finn seemed to finally start to get the point.

"See what I mean? As a gay man, I've no complaints regarding sex." Blaine shrugged "So, don't pity us Finn. We're just fine. But the concern is appreciated."

"I hate you both." Kurt sighed, eyes vacantly eyeing the horizon.

Blaine chuckled, pulling him in for a quick hug and a kiss over his head. Kurt eyed him, trying to keep the scowl on his face before rolling his eyes, giving up entirely and leaning into Blaine "So, changing the subject entirely, do you have anything in mind for Lisbon, what's worth seeing and stuff?"

"Yes!" Blaine grinned "I do! But maybe we should go back to your parents so we could all talk about it?"

"Yeah, come on, dude…" Finn beamed.

They sat close to Burt and Carole and Blaine started talking at once about he'd been thinking was worth seeing. He promised he'd taken into account that they only had one full day and as such he'd highlighted only the best parts. He explained that he'd left out museums and certain attractions and everyone agreed whole-heartedly that spending hours locked up in a building wasn't exactly their idea of experiencing a city in one day.

They talked for a long time, Blaine seeming just as, if not more excited than any of them, anticipating the things he most wanted to re-visit. After a while though, Deirdre got a little restless, as Tommy had begged for a little break to take a nap, and her mom was going through important looking papers. Eventually Finn checked out of their conversation to go build a sandcastle with her. Then it was Burt whose input progressively decreased until he too was asleep. Finally, when it seemed that the conversation was going a little bit in circles Blaine turned to Carole with the sweetest most charming smile "Mind if I steal Kurt for a little bit?"

"Not at all, sweetie. I was hoping to finish my book anyway!"

Blaine smiled and winked before turning to Kurt, taking his hand from where it was resting on his lap "Wanna walk a little bit?"

Kurt nodded happily jumping to his feet and outstretching a hand. Blaine took it and sprung upwards with his help. They kept their hands together, thumbs and fingers drawing soft, careful patterns. After a while, as they were already walking with water lapping at their shins Kurt spoke quietly "You were right, this beach is gorgeous."

"I'm glad you like it!" he swung their hands between them as they started to walk "So, Iron Man, huh?"

"Yeah…" he giggled "Don't act like that, you watch those movies too, and for the same reason, I bet!"

"Oh, no one's denying that! I love Iron Man, and I'm looking forward to The Avengers, because it's all the man candy in one single movie. I just never thought you'd be that type…"

"I'm a lot of things, I'm not that easy to pin down…" Kurt smirked.

"Mind if I try…?" Blaine dropped his voice a little lower and shot him his flirtiest wink.

Kurt blushed slightly before looking away "Oh my god, Blaine, it's like…!"

"I'm sorry…" Blaine smiled "I can't stop, if you want, but I just couldn't let that one pass by."

"No!" Kurt said, a little urgency to his voice before stopping, clearing his throat and starting over, a faint blush on his cheeks "No, no… Don't stop."

"Ok…" Blaine frowned slightly, careful to keep his tone light and a smile on his lips. But now he was just curious.

"I… is it weird that I like it…?" Kurt asked, his voice hushed as if he was admitting to something embarrassing "All these jokes…"

"Why would it be weird?"

"I dunno…" Kurt bit his lip "I just… I never had anyone to talk like this with…"

"I thought you and your ex…"

"We did." Kurt clarified at once, not needing Blaine to actually say it "We just never really talked about it, let alone made jokes or teasing little innuendos. I know it sounds weird, but we didn't. We were just so careful about no one ever finding out we barely acknowledged it…"

"Well, that makes sense, I guess. If he wasn't ready to come out then he probably wasn't all that comfortable with being gay, was he? And if you're not comfortable with something like that, no matter how great the sex is, you just can't bring yourself to act like it happened… You know?"

"I… yeah, I guess, that might be it." Kurt shrugged "I guess Sam just… didn't want it to be _that _real."

"Do you ever regret it?"

"What? Being with Sam?"

"Yes, and loosing… your virginity…?"

"Well, no… not really. It could've been better, yes. And I admit that a big part of why I did it was because I thought taking it to the next level might make him care more about me and about us and finally come out, and when that didn't happen I was a little disappointed in everything, but I still don't regret it. It helped me grow up a little, I guess. It was a bit of a reality check, when it comes to romance." Kurt paused, but Blaine knew he still had something to say, so he let him continue "And, it was still pretty special. He was my first love. I know now that he won't be my one and only, but at least I loved him, that has to count for something, right?"

Blaine smiled tightly and nodded.

"Do you?" Kurt asked, his voice soft and careful as he picked up on Blaine's thoughtful expression.

"Do I regret losing my virginity?"

"Mmm…" he nodded.

"Yes and no. I don't regret losing it. I regret losing it to who I did, when I did, but I don't regret losing it at all. I've never been much of a believer in that whole wait till marriage thing, and even the idea that you should wait for someone oh so special feels kind of forced to me. But I suppose losing it to the first guy that tells you you're sexy and then just leaves you the minute he gets what he wanted isn't all that great either."

"Oh…"

"I know. How clichéd of me, right?" Blaine chuckled, and even though there was a bit of a bitter edge to it, it was mostly genuine and light hearted "It's not one of the good ones, that's for sure. I kind of felt a little cheap afterwards, but… I guess it could've been worse. He was actually pretty gentle and all that. And like I said, I never expected to wait for someone, so…"

"Why not?" Kurt asked, seeming genuinely puzzled that someone would think like that. Blaine wondered if he should've said anything at all in the first place. Would Kurt think any less of him? In the end he figured it was best to just be honest. After all they were still getting to know each other, and they were bound to find things about one another that they didn't exactly see eye to eye on.

"Well, a number of reasons really. First of all because all my life I was led to believe that my first time would always suck, no matter what, so I was hoping to get that out of the way before I found someone that I really, really cared about, and who I'd want to be perfect for – like really know what I was doing instead of making a fool of myself. Now I kind of see the silliness in that, but I was young, so." he shrugged "And then there's the whole, just because it's not love and it's not for life doesn't mean I shouldn't have fun, thing. I understand why people would want to wait, I honestly do, but I just… never saw the point of depriving yourself of something that feels nice as long as you're using protection. And it's not like I sleep with random strangers or anything. I've actually only had sex with four people, and that's counting you. But I'll admit that one of them was just a friend with benefits, and I know everyone says that's a bad idea, but it worked pretty well for us – it wasn't exactly a regular occurrence so no one got hurt feelings or anything, it was just a couple of times and we had fun."

"Oh… That's… You're really comfortable with your sexuality, aren't you?"

"I just… I think it's a big part of life, but I also think that it's just as natural as eating a piece of cake or watching a good movie. Only a lot better." He chuckled "Don't get me wrong. I don't want you to think I don't… value what we did yesterday. I do, I really do."

"How, though? How can you think like that –and I'm not criticizing or… or judging… –" _no, you kind of are, but ok _"but how can you think like that and still think last night was… special, or…" Blaine could see Kurt was trying to hide his disappointment. And one part of him wanted to go back in time and not say any of this, but the other knew that he should probably be honest, especially about these things.

"Kurt, for me there's a big difference between what I did with my friend a few times from what I did with you last night."

"How…?"

"It… it's like… The kind of sex with him to me it's like, store bought plain cake – it's good for that night, I enjoy it while I'm eating it, but afterwards I just don't really care all that much. It was just enough to satiate any appetite I had for sugar. Last night, with you, was… a three stories red velvet cake – it fills me up with so much more and I'm left wanting more of it, and all I can think about is when I'm going to get to it again because it was a whole nother level! It has texture and it's dense and rich, and the flavor is surprisingly sweet, and so strong, and it lingers in your mouth and it's just perfect like that… It's… it's Red Velvet!" he shrugged with a chuckle and a crooked smile.

"Boy you really love Red Velvet cake, don't you?" Kurt giggled.

"You have no idea…"

Kurt shook his head with a chuckle before returning to a less amused smile "But, why would you want the store bought cake in the first place then? Wouldn't it spoil the appetite for the Red Velvet?"

"God no!" Blaine gasped "If anything, and I know this might sound stupid, but if anything it just makes it taste even better! And I'll know how to appreciate it so much more, because I'll have something to compare it to and something that will make me say 'this is exactly what I want, fuck the rest'. Listen, Kurt, I can't really explain it without going into words that I don't think you and I are ready to use, but believe me, last night was so special! And it meant the world to me…"

"Last night was Red Velvet?"

"Last night was the best Red Velvet I've ever had."

"Ok…" Kurt smiled, a small sigh of relief.

Blaine squeezed his hand "So you're not mad… or upset?"

"Of course not, Blaine, you were just being honest. I mean, maybe we should've talked about this before, but… I don't regret it if that's what you're worried about. I mean, it's not like you're one of those people who don't believe in monogamy and whatever."

"… About that…." Blaine flinched. He watched Kurt's eyes widen and immediately chuckled "I'm kidding Kurt. I'm a firm believer in monogamy. I love it."

"Good!" Kurt nodded "But can I just… say something?"

"Please do…"

"Like I said, I'm not judging or criticizing… But, what you said… it's also so… rational."

Blaine frowned slightly, but his smile remained in place, just as honest "Ok…"

"Don't you think that maybe rationalizing your sexuality like that kind of… ruins it for yourself? I mean… I don't really know how to put this. But I feel like, you're kind of missing out on the whole magic and the passion about using sex only as a way to really connect with someone. Like, using sex as something to have fun, kind of takes away its meaning for when you do want to use it as more."

"I… Well, I am a very rational person, Kurt… I don't… I know what you're trying to say, but in my mind the lines are very clear, and if they are so I just…." Blaine sighed and stopped on his maneuvering Kurt to face him, taking both his hands in his "I really don't feel like I've cheapened anything. I'm sorry if you feel that way about last night because of what I think, but I don't."

"If you don't, I don't. And I didn't mean what I said in a bad way." Kurt smiled leaning ever so slightly closer "I was just offering another point of view – my silly romantic point of view."

"It's not silly." Blaine said at once, squeezing Kurt's hands. They stared at each other for a bit until the splash of a beach ball hitting the other yanked them out of their moment, Kurt yelping and jumping slightly at the cold water sprinkling his back.

Blaine chuckled and Kurt glared at the little boy who had kicked the ball, before shaking his head and turning back to Blaine, who was walking again.

"How did we get to talking about Iron Man to my views on sexuality, though?"

Kurt chuckled. "I'm sorry I made you feel… guilty, or whatever. I… I think I understand where you're coming from… I don't necessarily agree with everything, but if that's what works for you, I've nothing against it."

Blaine smiled "Thank you, and same goes for you."

"So." Kurt took Blaine's hand back in his and swung it happily between them "On a scale of one to ten how much do you hate that woman's bikini? What in God's name is _that_?"

Blaine burst out laughing both at Kurt's swift change of subject, his expression of utter dislike and flammable judging, and the woman's indeed terrible choice of bathing outfit.

They fell into easy conversation for a while, then. They talked about their expectations for the new semester ahead, Kurt talked about how they were still choosing between two houses, but both of which he had made a decorative plan for, proceeding to then explain both to Blaine in the most excited and colorful way possible. They barely noticed as the beach became increasingly empty and the sun made its way down the sky. They had settled at the opposite end of the beach from where they'd started out and sat down on one of the rocks, facing the calm, sparkling ocean. The sky was a beautiful shade of blue, tipping on purple as the sun was nearing the horizon when Kurt finally noticed they were completely alone in this part of the beach.

"Oh my God, it's almost sunset!"

"Mmm…" Blaine smiled content "It's when this place looks the most beautiful…"

Kurt looked around him and he could see what Blaine meant . The tide was low and the sea was stunningly peaceful. The huge rocks didn't look half as threatening as they would've in any other scenario, and instead they were beautifully majestic glistening in the golden setting sun… "It's breathtaking. It's so… peaceful…"

"It's like you could stay here forever and never get tired because there's always something new to notice. And the fact that's empty, that it's just us… all of this beauty, just for us. It's like… Nature's own special way of making poetry…"

Kurt tore his eyes away from the landscape to look at Blaine, at how his skin looked made so soft and flawless, illuminated in the most perfect of ways, at how his smile, even though it was small it reached his eyes, at how his eyes shone with quiet bliss,… at how absolutely breathtaking he was.

"Yeah… Nature's poetry." He sighed.

Blaine turned to return Kurt's gaze, his smile growing a little as he understood Kurt's almost whisper. "Dance with me…?"

Kurt almost pointed out there was no music, but the idea that the two of them shouldn't dance because there was no music was almost laughable. They _were_ music! So instead he beamed, taking Blaine's hand and letting him envelop him in his arms starting to hum out a vaguely familiar melody that Kurt couldn't quite place – but he wasn't really worried about the song, he was more focused on the body that was pressed against his, the arms that held him tight and close, the head that was resting in the crook of his neck, the lips that would, every once in a while press themselves to Kurt's skin in a soft lingering kiss…

"I could stay like this forever." Blaine mumbled after a while.

"Mmm…"

They spun quietly for a while longer, water gently caressing their legs, lapping at their knees, both trying very hard, and not hard at all, to memorize every single detail about this.

The Sun was almost touching the sea when Blaine lifted his head to look at Kurt and smile at him in that way that never failed to make Kurt's stomach fill with butterflies. He then chuckled and Kurt frowned confused before, suddenly Blaine had taken his hand and had him spinning without warning and Kurt screamed trying his best not to fall in the water, flat on his butt.

"Owa-a!" Blaine shot spinning Kurt again and earning himself another yelp, before he sand loudly "I feel good! Ta-na-na-na-na! I knew that I would!" he spun himself as Kurt eyed him flabbergast and speechless. "Now I feeeeel good!I knew that I would! Now!"

"what are you doing?"

"SO GOOD! SO GOOD! I GOT YOU!"

"Oh my God…" Kurt mumbled into his hand as he cover his face in dismay.

"And I feeeeeeeeeeeeeeel nice!" Blaine dance in circles around Kurt, trying to coax him to dance and sing but Kurt remained perfectly still, his face buried in his hands "Like sugar and spice! I feel nice! Like sugar and spice!" "So NICE!" from behind, he warpped his hands around Kurt's stomach "SO NICE!" He lifted him up swiftly "I GOT YOU!"

Kurt shrieked and as soon as his feet touched the ground again he was scrambling away from Blaine "When I hold youuu in my aaaarms!" Blaine held out his arms but Kurt shook his head biting off any hint of amusement "I know that I can do no wrooong!" Blaine dropped to his knees, taking hold of Kurt's hands and pulling him close "And when I hold you in my aaaarms! My love won't do you no haarm!" he showered Kurt's hands and forearms with small peppering kisses and was rewarding by a chuckled breaking free of Kurt, but he was quick to return to his fake annoyed stance, and Blaine feigned dejection, letting himself fall into the water but returning just as quickly "And I feeeeel nice! Like sugar and spice!" he sprung to his feet, dancing and clicking his finger to set the beat "I feel nice! Like sugar and spice! SO NICE! SO NICE!" he spun himself and in one swift move landed on his knee, right in front of Kurt, his hand outstretched to take Kurt's "I GOT YOU!" he was rewarded with a giggle – not a chuckle, not an amused laugh – a giggle.

He grinned and jumped to his feet enveloping Kurt in bone-crushing embrace "When I hold you! In my aaaarms! I kno-" He was surprised when Kurt's voice joined his, and found himself letting Kurt take over the song in his rich silky tone "I know that I can do no harm…! An when I hold you in my arms! Yeah, my love can't do me no haaaarm!" Kurt chuckled as he sang "And I feeeeeeeel nice!"

They continued together, dancing and teasing each other, until the very last word, when Kurt punctuated their excited and loud "HEY!" by tripping Blaine and making him fall in into the cool water. Blaine emerged spitting water and flailing arms, shaking his air out of his face as Kurt laughed at his little victory. It wasn't long lived though, as before he knew it is arm was yanked and he found himself falling and engulfed in the cold water as well. He resurfaced with a gasp ready to kill Blaine but before he could even so much as put on his deadliest glare Blaine's lips were crashing against his and he forgot all about killing him, melting into the kiss.

"And I feeeeel nice…!" Blaine sang in a soft chuckling whisper.

xXxXxXx

_Before anyone says or asks anything, I do not necessarily agree with either of them when it comes to sex but it is what I feel both characters would think and feel about it. And I think it's a conversation they both should and would end up having if they really want to be serious w each other. I hope you liked this chapter, tootles!_


	20. A Nice Change

_I'm sooo sorry these last few chapters have taken so long to post in between them. I never meant for it to be like that, but between school, friends and life I got busy, and even when I wasn't busy I just didn't have the right inspiration. This is the last chapter, but there will still be an epilogue (it'll be quick to update, I know what I want to write, so… by the end of this week I promise I'll have it up)._

_I hope you like this. I made it a little touristy-guide, and there are some links for pictures and a couple of videos if yo9u want to check those out, but I tried to mix it up with real moments. It might be a little cheesy, forgive me. I was in that mood. _

_In celebration of the Darren Criss sex riot and Chris Colfer's stellar performance in 8, here you go._

xXxXxXx

"Blaine." Kurt drawled out his name warningly, his eyes on the speedometer.

"Oh, right, yeah, sorry." Blaine said hurriedly, and at once Kurt felt them losing some speed.

It had taken a lot of convincing for Burt to let Kurt drive with Blaine. In the end they figured they needed someone there to establish a viable means of communication between the two cars, and Burt was not fond of the idea of Blaine driving while talking on the phone. But three promises had to be made. There would be no speeding. There would be no loud music and funny games. They would stop for some rest every hour.

They were sticking to all of them, save for the little moments when Blaine would get distracted a go a little too fast, but Kurt was confident he'd managed to scold him soon enough for Burt not to notice – driving right behind them.

"You're used to speeding, aren't you?" Kurt smirked.

"Hmm a bit…" He smiled sheepishly glancing over at Kurt.

"I would have never guessed. Doesn't seem like you… you're always so calm."

"I didn't use to… I mean, I did… I… It's not that it's in my nature or anything, but I got used to it." Blaine shrugged, his smile faltering a bit "When things got… bad with my parents, especially my dad… I'd just grab my keys and take off for a drive down to this old house that was kind of abandoned, and I'd spent a few hours there, cooling off… So, yeah, when you're driving angry, your first instinct is to speed. And I…"

"You did that a lot…" Kurt offered.

"Yeah…" Blaine shrugged "After a while, it just became a habit. Even when I wasn't mad I'd drive fast."

"Maybe you could try the opposite?"

"What? Go for a drive after Yoga class?" Blaine chuckled.

"Kind of, yes… Only drive when you're calm and relaxed."

"That's not pragmatic at all, Kurt. Deeds breaks her arm and I have to take her to the hospital and the doctor's like 'so when did this happen?' and I'll be 'oh, about four hours ago… I need to cool off before I could drive her.'"

Kurt laughed "You'd just have to learn to relax and meditate real quick."

"Eh, can't be that hard."

A few soft chuckles sounded before silence fell between them, letting the music fill the air. Kurt wondered if it was a good time to finally bring up the big conversation. It seemed right. They had a long car ride ahead of them. They were alone. They wouldn't be disturbed or interrupted. It seemed right.

"So… Blaine."

"Hmm, yes?"

"Have you… Do you… I mean." Kurt sighed recollecting his thoughts and words before starting "So, I'll be leaving."

"Seems that way."

"I'm serious, Blaine. We should talk about this. We've talked about a lot of other things, things that were probably even… more… risqué than this… so…"

"I just… I don't know what's there to talk. I think you know what I want, don't you?" Blaine's tone was somewhere between casual and serious, and Kurt knew that even though Blaine meant it, he was still trying to treat the subject as lightly as possible.

"What do you want?"

"You know… I want us… to keep seeing each other. And there's skype and facebook and all that jazz, so it's really not a big deal… not unless we make it a big deal." Blaine shrugged, but upon noticing Kurt's silence he glanced, frowning slightly "Do you think it's a big deal?"

"I just… I'm a little scared, I guess. We got this thing going on, and it's… amazing… but it's only been two weeks. And… the time zones are going to be crazy different, so, who knows if we'll actually get to talk that often… so what if… what if you lose interest?"

"I won't!" Blaine said at once, amusement coloring his voice.

"But what if you do…?"

"Kurt…" he sighed "I won't. Besides, you're the one moving to a bright new city, exploring all the new things and the new people. I should be the one scared about those things…"

"Are you…?" Kurt almost blushed as he asked this. Of course, Blaine wasn't scared about it. What was there to be scared about? First, there was no way Kurt would forget about him, or lose interest, or meet anyone more _anything _than him! Then, well, why would he ever think anyone would pay attention to Kurt…?

"A little bit." He admitted and Kurt nearly gasped "I'm trying not to think about it too much, but… I think it'll be alright, Kurt. I really do."

"I just…"

"Listen. When it comes to me… You could spend a whole month not talking to me in any way shape or form, and I wouldn't lose interest."

"Me too…"

"So… What else is there to talk about? Apart from the fact that I'll have to give up my morning jogs and gain ten pounds on account of that, so I can stay up late on skype with you."

"Ten pounds? Just because you'd stop jogging? Please! You'd have to eat like a pig."

"I might stress eat." He shrugged and Kurt shook his head laughing.

"I doubt you'd gain ten pounds. You probably have one of those metabolisms that just piss me off."

Blaine nodded, grinning "Would you mind though?"

"What? You getting fat?" Blaine nodded "Nah, I think you'd make a cute fat."

"Aww, thanks!"

"So, ok… I think what I meant with this.. is that I'd like to know where we stand. Like… specifically… so… I'm just… I'm just gonna ask… Like… officially, and… stuff…"

"Kurt…?" Blaine frowned, but he smiled all the same.

_Suck it up, don't be a wuss._ "Well, hm, would you like to be my boyfriend?"

Blaine glanced between Kurt and the road a few times before his smile widened "That's not fair!"

"What? You don't…" _Ohmygod. He doesn't want to go into that kind of label yet, and I just freaked him out._

"It's not fair, Kurt! I'm driving! I don't get to jump and dance and rejoice, and scare innocent bystanders by grabbing their shoulders and shouting in their faces that you asked me to be your boyfriend!"

Kurt sighed in relief "You're such a dork."

Blaine chuckled, moving one hand from the wheel to squeeze Kurt's knee affectionately "I'd be honored to be your boyfriend, Kurt."

Kurt grinned sharing a glance with Blaine before both looked away to stare ahead of them. He felt his cheeks burning, but it wasn't embarrassment, it was just excitement. After a while in silence Blaine's words came back to him and he found himself wondering out loud "Would you really do that?"

"What? What would I do?"

"The jumping and dancing and telling everyone about me asking…" he knew he was being silly. Obviously Blaine was just joking.

"Uh… not that, exactly." He chuckled "I'm not that much of a dork. But it would've been nice to have had the chance to hug you, and pick you up and kiss you…"

"But… like… in the middle of the street?"

"Anywhere, really. Just wherever." He shrugged, and he seemed so casual about it. Kurt almost believed it. But it couldn't be, could it? Having it be so simple and easy? Blaine seemed to notice Kurt's silence, glancing more than once and frowning slightly before smiling "Penny for your thoughts…?"

"I just… You just surprised me, that's all."

"With what? You weren't honestly thinking I'd say no." he laughed.

"Well… no, well… I had a nagging voice in my head, but… that's not it. I was… I'm not… used to… someone being with me. And people knowing…"

"Oh…"

"Sam… it was all one big secret, and I know it wasn't of me he was ashamed, but…"

"No, I get it." Blaine smiled tightly "He was ashamed of what you had, and that's enough to hurt." He sighed "I really wish I could pull over right now and kiss you in front of the world, Kurt. I'd never be ashamed of this. Ok?" he reached out taking Kurt's hand in his "I can't wait to have the chance to show you off."

"I… me too."

xXxXx

The house wasn't particularly big or small, and there were only two bedrooms, but Blaine had insisted that it was crazy of them to pay for a hotel when this would be perfectly fine. Of course he had also insisted to sleep on the couch and it had taken a lot of convincing but he'd managed. Kurt and Finn would share the bedroom he and Deeds usually slept in and Burt and Carole would use his grandmother's bedroom. He turned on the power and the water at once and raced to the bathroom, trying in vain to beat Finn to the punch. But in two wide steps the giant was closing the door behind him with a triumphant laugh and he was left outside cursing under his breath and doubling over himself.

Kurt giggled at their antics but Blaine was way too busy keeping himself in check to be even remotely amused. "Finn! Hurry!"

After an eternity he finally heard the flush and not soon after the tap was running, and Blaine never thought they day would come he'd curse someone for actually having proper hygiene habits.

"Finally!" he gasped as Finn swung the door open smiling broadly and he pushed past him, shoving him outside and practically slamming the door. _Ohdeargodyes!_

"You are a bad person." He squinted at Finn once he was joining them in the living room. Finn merely chuckled. "There was no way you needed it more than me."

"You don't know that…"

"Finn, the kid had Kurt park their car because he couldn't handle it." Burt laughed.

"Well, you shouldn't have drank all that soda, then."

"One day, you'll pay." Blaine warned, taking a seat on the couch, next to Kurt, who immediately took his hand in his and started rubbing his thumb in relaxing patterns.

"Yeah, well, you're the one dating my brother, so… I kind of have the upper hand."

"You really think _your _hand plays any part in this situation?" Kurt smirked and Burt choked on his glass of water, Carole giggled, Blaine turned a solid shade of red and Finn's jaw slacked "Get your heads out of the gutter, people. I'm just saying Finn doesn't have any upper hands. No one does." He sighed, but the playful twinkle in his eyes told Blaine otherwise.

After a moment of awkward silence filling the room Blaine decided to break it before it got any worse. He cleared his throat "So… Are you up for a little walk? Or are you too tired? I thought we could go for a walk at a nearby park… I figured we'd all be a little tired from all the driving."

"Sounds lovely, dear."Carole clapped her hands together, joining Blaine in his effort to clear the air and he wanted to hug her.

"We can walk there, it's really, just five minutes." He smiled "And there are a few bars and restaurants if you're hungry." He shrugged.

"Are _you _hungry, Blaine?" Kurt teased, not fooled by Blaine's attempt at masking it.

"Well… we had like tuna sandwiches. Two hours ago." He half smiled, apologetically.

"Yeah, I could eat something, too." Finn agreed "Let's go."

The five of them walked calmly through the streets, the sky now entirely black as it was already ten pm. But unlike the beach where they'd been able to watch the stars in all of their glory, there were barely three or four visible, and for all the quietness of where they were walking it reminded them that they were now in a city. They passed by a public transport station that, at least illuminated by night time, looked more like some kind of futuristic extra-terrestrial themed monument, than a train, bus and subway station.

(enjoy: http :/ i. olhares. com/data/big/279/2799755. Jpg)

It was followed closely by what Blaine told them was a mall, and asked if they wanted to go inside, but everyone agreed that the temperature outside was perfect and the breeze felt fantastic against their skin and if Blaine was sure there were more interesting places they could eat at, they didn't really feel a need to go there.

They went around it to the park, and were immediately greeted with the sight of beautifully lit tree, interesting buildings and the riverside. Blaine explained how it was once a garbage dump, but had been rehabilitated to the 1998 World Expo and now it was just a family friendly park that would fill with thousands and thousands of squealing kids and exhausted parents every weekend, though by night it was a place of couples walking hand in hand, relishing the warmth and the beautifully reflected lights in the river.

(oh look, more!: http: / viajar. clix. pt/fotos/ffoto. php?f=2017&l=520

http: / 4. bp. /_Hz7BB0dIW-w/SOPF-vh47DI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/cDqJ1bjppVQ/s400/ Lisboa+-+Parque+das+Na%C3%A7%C3%B5es+by+night. Jpg

http: / 3. bp. /_dl6Szm-ZAuk/SuQGI8DBlQI/AAAAAAAADDQ/ctGHtUm9AwM/s400/Parque+Das+Nacoes. Jpg)

It was no central park, grated, but it was different. The buildings were, according to Blaine, pavilions built for the Expo that were now used for different purposes, and there was the Oceanário – in the middle of water, his glass walls shining with bright lights – which was just a giant aquarium with fishes and species from every one of the five oceans. On one end of the park there was a dock, filled with sports boats and small yachts, and on the other a humongous bridge stood over it and beyond, crossing the wide river and disappearing into the thin and distant strip of lights that was the other side of the river and Kurt noticed with surprise that that was the bridge they'd crossed just barely an hour ago.

Blaine suggested they go towards the bridge first, and then turn around for the dock, because his favorite restaurant was to that side and he would much rather walk on a full stomach. They did so, walking by the river side, the calm waters lapping at the stone walls, between dimly lit gardens and small pine trees. After a while Blaine had run out of fun facts about this park (he supposed there were a few more, but he didn't know it all that well) and the conversation took its own direction.

Blaine and Kurt hung back, for most of the walk, hand in hand, sharing glances and smiles, mostly in silence.

There was a long line of restaurants and bars to which Blaine directed them, stopping at one that read 'Peter's –sports bar', and had blue whale for logo. There were a bunch of tables outside, but the walls were mainly just big windows and they could see the inside was paneled with wood and little flags and all sorts of nautical decorations hung everywhere.

"Doesn't look much like a sports bar…" Burt muttered.

"It's not your idea of a sports bar, Burt." Blaine shrugged reaching for a chair and plopping down. Everyone followed suit. "Actually they don't really have the whole pub thing, here… This is as close as it gets. This and their kind of failed imitation of an Irish pub a few bars down." He chuckled signaling their left, where they could, after a few other place, what, indeed, was not an Irish pub, even if it did announce itself as.

Every restaurant or bar had tables and chairs outside and the park was much more alive in this area than where they'd walked by the river. There were TV's high above their heads, nailed to the walls, where a soccer game was playing, but most people weren't paying much attention to it.

"Oh, I almost forgot they were played tonight…" Blaine smiled.

"Who?"

"Benfica. It's the soccer team I kind of follow around here. They're the red ones. They won. Awesome!" The score was 2-1 for Benfica, but Blaine didn't recognize the adversary team "It's funny, they call soccer football, actually. Well, the whole world call soccer football, we just figured we'd be different."

"Wait, they won? They're still playing…"

"No, that's the highlights of the game, you can tell if you pay attention. The game was a little earlier." Blaine turned away from the TV "So, tomorrow we got Belém in the morning, downtown for the afternoon, then dinner at a Fado place and Bairro Alto for the night. Sound good?"

"I understood downtown…?" Finn smiled sheepishly.

"Belém is a part of Lisbon with some parks, a beautiful monastery, and some other monuments… and it has a store that sells the most delicious pastry you will ever taste." He announced cheerfully "The downtown, is what it's name says… it's the downtown, the older part of the city, and it's lovely. Fado is a type of music that really only exist in Portugal and you should at least listen to it live and properly, so I booked us a table at a very respected Fado house, and it's my present for you guys…" He was interrupted by a stream of 'you didn't have to' and 'nonsense' but he put his hand up to quiet them down as he continued "and Bairro Alto is kind of adjacent to the downtown, it translates to High Neighborhood, but it's not like uptown, or whatever. It actually used to be the poor part of the city, back in the medieval ages, I guess. It's just a really old neighborhood and now it's like where the nightlife kind of happens, it's like one of the highest points of the city so you get a killer view."

"That's… that's a lot of information." Burt chuckled and Blaine laughed and blushed.

"Sorry… I'll-"

"No, I'll just, need you to repeat it tomorrow."

"Of course. I'll put in some more detail if you want."

"That's some tourist guide we got ourselves!"

"My grandma used to takes us to places and tells us everything about them. I guess she wanted us to be proud of our heritage, or something. Or at least not be ashamed of it."

"Why would you, though?" Carole frowned.

"Well, you wouldn't believe how… not proud these people are of their country. They're the first ones to bash it, and it's really easy to get lost in all of that and not remember all the good stuff about it."

The waitress interrupted them and took their orders of five toasts (ham and cheese, mostly, under vehement recommendation from Blaine) and after she was gone he continued telling them all about how Portugal struggled economically, and even socially and culturally, how Portuguese barely valued their own products, be them cultural or otherwise, and how, in the end, they found their country to be a joke. He told them that this happened even though this country had one of the richest and most interesting stories, having had the biggest and most prolific empire back in the fifteenth century. That nowadays all they had was terrific weather, pretty landscapes and a few good soccer players.

After they finished eating their big ass toasts (and by big ass, I mean, so big they will give you a fucking big ass)they resumed back to walking, slow paced and relaxed. Blaine talked to Carole and Finn as they bombarded him with question after question about historical facts and things of the sort. But he remained acutely aware of Burt and Kurt walking a few ahead, hands in their pockets, talking quietly, and he had a feeling he knew what the topic of their conversation. He wondered if Burt was ok with all of this, especially given how fast it'd been. He'd be worried, if it weren't for the fact that Burt had never once given him as much as frown, and he loved that about the man.

xXxXx

"So Blaine… huh…"

"What about Blaine, dad?" Kurt tried to seem nonchalant, even smile a little bit, but it still came out a little nervous, a little like he didn't really want to have this conversation. He didn't.

"It's pretty serious, isn't it…? I mean… It is, isn't?"

Kurt bit his lip, suddenly feeling a lot more giddy than embarrassed, and he didn't care that this was his dad he was talking about. Actually he kind of liked that this was his dad – the most important person in his life, his everything. He hadn't told anyone – not that it mattered, because everything was exactly the same, but then… it wasn't. not really. There was a word now. A very solid word. "I… I asked him, today, in the car…" he whispered excitedly.

"What did you ask him? I'm not a mind reader."

"If he'd… want to be my boyfriend. And he said yes." Kurt giggled, actually giggled "We're boyfriends now. Boyfriends. And… I get to say that… like out loud. Because he wants to be my boyfriend, dad."

"Of course he does!" Burt chuckled "He'd be crazy not to, and I haven't seen him put his boxers over his head or attempt to talk to furniture, so I don't think he's crazy."

Kurt laughed "It's not just that he likes me that way, dad. It's that…" Kurt sighed, searching for words "When he comes back to New York we'll be going out, as boyfriends… we'll hold hands and walk down the streets as boyfriends. And… people will know. My friends will know. His friends will know… because I'll be his boyfriend and he'll be mine. And he'll say that. He'll introduce me as 'this is Kurt, my boyfriend.'"

Burt chewed on his lip for a moment, frowning slightly "I'm sorry that it took you so long to have that, Kurt. And I'm real happy you have now. I know you know_ I'm _proud of you, or even Carole, and Finn, and Rachel. But I know it's not the same, as when someone chooses to be with you and… I know it's different. I'm happy you have that now."

Kurt's heart melted all the way to the river and he beamed "Thanks, dad…"

"All those years of waiting seemed to have paid off, though… He's great."

"I… I had a boyfriend… kind of."

"What?"

"Back in Lima, I had someone. I can't tell you who. But I did. I thought you should know. I should've told you before, but I… I was scared you'd think I was… being stupid. I think I kind of was, but… I was happy, he made me happy. Mostly. I guess."

"You… What… What happened?"

"He didn't want to come out, and it just… I didn't want to be anyone's dirty little secret. I… I think I deserved better than that. And he understood that."

"G-good. I guess."

"Things with Blaine, they're so different, though." He bit his lip, barely containing the grin threatening to take over his face "I'm… I get to show him how much I… care. And he does too, and… it's not just that. It's wonderful that we don't have to hide, and that he doesn't want to hide at all, but it's so much more, dad. He gets me. For some reason, he just does. And I get him."

"I can see that." Burt laughed "Listen, kid. I… I see the way you look at each other, walk around each other. If I hadn't waited this long to see you this happy, it's be nauseating." He chuckled and Kurt rolled his eyes "But you gotta watch out. Both of you. Don't get in too deep too fast."

"It's kind of too late for that, dad."

"I… I know. I'm not dumb." He smiled with a tired sigh "But at least use this time apart to get to know each other, like… talk, since that's all you're gonna be able to do. See if he can put up with gushing on Broadway shows for hours, and you see if you can put with him… I dunno, stressing out over soccer teams, or whatever. Acknowledge the flaws, Kurt. Don't try to impress."

"I… I won't." Kurt frowned slightly as he smiled at the advice. Burt should win an award for the amount of excellent advice he'd given Kurt throughout his life. But then again, Burt hadn't noticed one thing "But dad… the best thing about Blaine, is that… I don't feel like I need to try to impress him. And he doesn't either. At least I don't think he does. I really am myself with him. I don't really filter all that much what I say and what I do around him. Not like with everyone else."

"Still, you two got a lot to find out. Just make sure you can handle it. I don't want to see you get hurt, kid. Nor Blaine. He really likes you, I can see that. So, be careful, Kurt. Don't… don't hurt him. He's a good kid, that one."

Kurt chuckled "I'll do my best, dad. And… thanks."

"For what?"

"Not treating me like a girl and giving Blaine a talk or whatever."

"I don't see the point. I don't see how that kid will want to hurt you. If he does, it won't be because he wanted to, and he'll be feeling guilty enough without me needing to break his knee-caps, or whatever." Burt shrugged, half amused half serious "But if I thought he wasn't good enough for you, Kurt, I would've talked to him."

"Oh…"

"Not because you're gay, or I think of you as a girl, Kurt. Don't turn things around. I would've done the same for Finn if he started going out with some girl that wasn't trustworthy. I'm your father and I want what's best for you. If that's Blaine, I got no problem with that."

xXxXx

Blaine was staring at the dark ceiling above him when he heard light footsteps coming down the hallway. He propped himself up on his elbows just in time to see a head peeking through the doorway.

"Hey…" he greeted quietly.

Kurt, or better, the dark silhouette that was Kurt approached the couch, sitting on the very edge right by Blaine's feet "Hi." He laid a hand on his shins and squeezed "Did I wake you?"

"No, I was awake. Thinking."

"Good, I was thinking, too. That and Finn's snoring sometimes gets the best of me."

Blaine chuckled quietly, reaching out and pulling Kurt to lie on top of him, his chin resting on his hand, itching ever so slightly with the soft brush of his hair. Blaine let his hand wander mindlessly though Kurt's back "What were you thinking about?"

"Some stuff my dad said… when we were walking." Kurt half shrugged shifting a bit so the arms he had wrapped around Blaine would be a little higher and tighter.

"Funny. I was wondering about that. Was he telling you to dump my sorry ass?"

Kurt laughed "No."

"Good. That's a relief. I'd hate for you to have to chose me over your dad." He teased.

"I told him I'd asked you to be my boyfriend." He paused and Blaine hummed a little in acknowledgement, urging him to go on "He seemed pleased about it. Told me you'd be crazy to turn me down. I agree."

"That makes three of us." Blaine smiled "Although- wait… can I be incredibly cheesy for a second?"

"Sure…"

"Ok… here goes. Although I _am_ crazy about you."

Kurt giggled burying his face the crook of Blaine's neck, nuzzling it as he finally pulled away with a bright smile on his lips "That was… that was something else."

"Sorry…" Blaine chuckled.

"No, you can… you can be cheesy with me. I don't mind." Kurt grinned, bringing his hands to lay on Blaine's chest atop each other and resting his chin on them "It's a nice change."

"From what?"

"Everything else." He shrugged.

Blaine understood immediately and his giddy smile melted into the most genuine and kindest smile he could deliver "I'm glad."

"My dad's not giving you the talk, you know."

"He's not?"

"No… he said he can see you're a good kid. He says he knows you won't hurt me… not intentionally at least. And he told me to be careful, too. With you. He asked me not to hurt you, because you don't deserve it. I think he likes you, a lot."

Blaine felt warmth flooding through his body, but not the kind of warmth that surrounded him on that hot summer night, the kind of warmth that made him feel whole and together, and that made him smile and almost choke "Oh… That's… that's…"

"I know." Kurt flashed him a gentle smile before reaching up for a quick kiss "If… If things work out, you'll have a lot more moments like this, you know. You'd better get used to the brilliance that is Burt Hummel."

"I guess…"

"You'll get used to expect it, too. It'll feel normal."

"No…" Blaine muttered "It won't. It'll never feel normal to me, Kurt. I… I won't let it feel normal. I won't ever take it for granted. Not something as beautiful as that."

"It's not taking it for granted, Blaine. It's taking what's rightfully yours. You've been… cheated. By your parents. You said it yourself. You shouldn't have to expect them_ not _to care. Well, I shouldn't have to celebrate that my father loves me for who I am. I do, I really do. I appreciate it and every day I feel like I'm the luckiest kid in that department. But, in fairness. I shouldn't have to. Most people don't. And I don't think it's because they're taking things and people for granted. I think there's a reason why most people don't feel the need to constantly celebrate every single act of good parenting they experience." He paused, removing one hand from under his chin to find Blaine's, entwining their fingers.

He brought their hands for a small kiss before continuing "It's his job, as my dad, to love me no matter what. Just like it's my job as his son to love him, value him and treasure him. And I do. But each time I tell him I love him or make him eat a salad instead of a steak because I want his heart working properly I don't get a son of the year prize, I don't get a tearful thank you. Because I'm just being a son. A fairly good son. And when he says stuff like that… he's being a very good dad."

"I… I'm not used to living in that kind of world, Kurt."

"I know. I'm not trying to make things go faster than they should or can… but… maybe one day you will. If not with me, than, somebody else. One can always hope."

"It'd be a nice change." Blaine smiled.

"We're bringing very nice changes for each other, now, aren't we?"

"I like that. I… I hadn't realized how stuck I was. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He pressed a kiss to Blaine's chest "Thank you."

"Anytime."

They shared a soft kiss, knowing full well they couldn't go beyond that, not with Kurt's family down the hall. When they pulled apart Kurt beamed.

"Hey. You wanna hear something funny?"

"What?"

"You're my boyfriend."

Blaine threw his head back laughing silently, and wrapping his arms around Kurt impossibly tight.

xXxXx

The next morning Blaine managed to secure himself as the driver, arguing that he was very bad at giving directions, and assuring Burt that was perfectly capable of driving in Lisbon. He surprised even himself as he drove carefully and slowly through the city, and after a bit even Burt seemed to relax and enjoy the view outside the car windows. The city was bursting with light, as the bright sunlight reflected on the white sidewalks and, every once in a while, white buildings. After a few a mere ten minutes they were driving along the river and Kurt wondered if there was any place in this country that didn't have water around. Blaine had laughed and told him that, yes, there was, but they didn't have time to go there.

Belém, as Blaine had promised, was covered in gardens and trees, and old light colored buildings that burst with life. Tourists and people walking everywhere, laughing and eating ice-creams.

(oh look, picture! http:/ ipt. olhares. com/data/big/24/249425. Jpg)

"Do you want to stuff your face in deliciousness now or later?" Blaine asked as he shut his car door.

"Now, please." Finn grinned.

Everyone shook their heads at him but agreed so Blaine led them to a bakery that had the biggest line of people Kurt had ever seen in a bakery, it came outside! It was even more surreal once he realized that there was only one thing that place sold.

(where they were buying it: http:/ 1. bp. blogspot. com/_yfV7PxKsyP0/TSZ5_qcKQaI/AAAAAAAAABI/N4dtWYpbvYg/s1600/DSCN2853. JPG

What they were buying/eating: http: /www. blogkrups. com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/pastel_nata. Jpg)

They chatted happily as they waited in line and all were a little surprised that it moved quite fast. Once Blaine emerged from the counter holding a little plastic bag with warm and deliciously smelling boxes he smiled and urged them to go find a bench by the gardens where they could sit and savor. "These are… pasteis de Belém. Or, if I had to find a name in English, I guess little cream pies, would have to do. But it's… it's real good." He explained as he handed one to each other. They were about half the size of a fist, and looked all crispy outside os felt mushy inside. "Now usually people sprinkle some powdered sugar on it, or cinnamon, or both… I have some here." He searched the plastic bag and took out a few small packs "Do you want some?" He ripped up pack of sugar and started sprinkling his own. Finn took him up on his offer, as did Carole and Burt. Kurt reached for cinnamon instead.

Finn was the first one to take a bite, of course, and he groaned as he did. "OHMYGODTHISSISSOGOOD!"

"Told you." Blaine smirked taking his own politely sized bite.

"How many did you buy?" Finn asked reaching for the bad, his mouth still full.

"Finn, swallow before opening your mouth!" Carole reprimanded and Blaine noticed Kurt trying to hid a little snort of laughter. He shot him a quick smirk before turning back to Finn.

"Three for each of us, but take it easy. You don't want to eat them all at once."

They finished their first round quicker than anyone would've wanted and sat for little while, watching people around them.

Afterwards Blaine showed them to the various monuments around the place. A structure that was like a huuuge sculpture, to honor the sailors that had set out to discover the sea route to India, and Brazil that had brought about Portugal's great empire in the fifteenth century. The intricately carved tower that stood right over the river. The amazingly detailed and enormous monastery. Each was more surprisingly interesting than the previous.

(more pics: the tower: http: /www. igespar. pt /media/images/pat/35/original. Jpg

Huge ass sculpture: http: /maisturismo. org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2387401251_77e22f846c. jpg

Monastery: http:/ www. 360portugal. com/Distritos. QTVR/Lisboa. VR/monumentos/Jeronimos/JeronimosView. Jpg)

They grabbed a quick lunch, before they headed off to the new destination. Blaine explained he couldn't park the car as close as he'd like because it was impossible to find a spot, unless they paid a small fortune. So, he'd parked in a small parking lot, by the river, gushing about how even that spot was a miracle) and they followed him as he walked and talked excitedly. The downtown, he said, had been rebuilt in the eighteenth century after a violent earthquake destroyed most of the city. The detail that he found most deliciously interesting about the whole thing is that, while the most religious parts of the city had been destroyed, including the biggest of churches, the damaged had stopped exactly before the neighborhood where all the whores and deviants lived.

(pictures! http: /1. bp. blogspot. com/_CAyuyWqNt-s/R9g856b3aBI/AAAAAAAAAMM/msWGjw7RGF4/s400/baixa-pombalina%2Bsec%2Bxx. Jpg

http: / www. bananiele. it/lisbona/lisb60. Jpg)

He took them for a bite a famous coffee shop where all the poets in the nineteenth and early twenty centuries used to hang out and they had the most wonderful chocolate croissant with a cup of tea. They spent most of their time walking, laughing and snapping pictures like the excited tourists they were.

Kurt would coat himself with sun screen every half an hour and Finn, having learnt his lesson, asked for a bit himself a couple of times. Blaine even humored Kurt and let him spread some over his nose and cheeks, but only if he could wear it striped across his cheeks like a warrior for a while. Kurt wouldn't admit to it but Blaine knew he found it cute. He knew it because he didn't even fight Blaine off when he took a couple of pictures, taking advantage of it to rub their cheeks together. When Kurt yelped and nearly screamed "what are you doing?" he merely laughed and shrugged, pocketing his camera.

"Spreading the sun screen."

Kurt had glared at him, trying to look annoyed, but it came off as exactly what it was – him trying to keep his smile and laughter from bursting through.

The sun was still fairly bright when Blaine told them they should head towards the restaurant. It was a cozy, but rather dark place – the windows were small and few, and most were covered with dark curtains. The decoration all seemed incredibly traditional. Rough wooden tables covered in white and red striped towels, clay plates and thick glasses. They took their seats and for the millionth time that day took Blaine's advice, this time regarding the menu and choosing accordingly to what he told them was worth it or not.

They were halfway though their meal, animatedly discussing their day and their favorite parts, when someone stepped on a small stage and the room fell quiet. It was a woman, dressed all in black, her dress old fashioned and unusual, a crimson scarf hanging lose around her shoulders. She held herself straight, her chin high and the very definition of dignity and pride. Two man followed her onto the stage, sitting on stools a few feet behind her and one holding a guitar and the other cradling something that looked a lot like a guitar, but had a lot more strings and was considerably smaller.

"Silêncio, que se vai cantar o fado."

They looked over to Blaine, expecting a translation but he merely brought his finger to His lips and signaled them to be silent.

Her voice carried through the room in a way that none of them had ever heard. It was powerful, but not in that way that Kurt was used to singing and listening to on Broadway songs. It wasn't better or worse, but it was so much different. This was so raw and so stripped of anything. He couldn't get a word out of the lyrics, but he knew they were sad. Depressing even. He wondered if he'd ever heard a song so full of emotion as this.

(videos! 1 - the most famous one, and probably the best to represent the whole thing: watch?v=TP4BnfUm0eI&feature=related

2 – my absolute favorite fado song - and truthfully the only one that I really, really love : watch?v=cPIRWE8HxjY&feature=related

3- Also: watch?v=XQrq7nLPHEw)

The three people on that stage played for a while and the whole restaurant was absolutely silent a few for their anguished music. As they closed the performance Kurt felt his eyes burning slightly and blinked away the threatening tears as he clapped, joining the whole restaurant in a standing ovation. "Rachel should've been here!" he gasped to Finn who nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Oh, my…" Carole took a hand to her chest "That was something."

Blaine smiled "Yeah, this is exactly why I knew I had to make sure you came to a good one."

"Thank you." Kurt sighed, taking his hand under the table.

"My pleasure. Everyone should experience this, if they're visiting Portugal. Especially someone who loves music as much as you do."

"I know…" he muttered "There was so much… emotion. And… pain."

"Well… It's… not all Fado, but most of it is really sad. These songs are mostly about heartbroken women. Women who lost their husbands or lovers and long to have them back, but know they never will. It also has a lot to do with their History… A lot of sailors would die out in the open sea…"

"Oh…"

Afterwards they took a walk through narrow and steep streets, and if Blaine was lost or knew exactly where he was going no one could really tell. He smiled through a few more fun facts about certain places and events, but after a while they were just walking and enjoying a relaxed conversation about their vacation.

(pictures: http: / 1. bp. blogspot. com/_iApedrXQE0s/SpkYmYA07_I/AAAAAAAAAWQ/XGi8Y-whMIo/s400/lisboa+noite+2. Jpg

http: /www. celina-tours. com/images/green_grey/content_slider/excursao-lisboa-noite1. Jpg

http: / www. flickr. com/photos/wirsindfrei/4879186200/lightbox/)

Blaine noticed how Kurt and Finn had fallen behind teasing and tripping each other, between laughs and yelps, and he could see Carole and Burt watching them fondly. It was a sight to behold – how these people managed to find a family despite everything the world threw at them. He took his chance to step a little towards Burt.

"Thank you, for letting me join you guys…" he smiled. He hoped it was evident enough that this really wasn't all he wanted to say, and by the way that Carole grinned and, oh so subtly, let herself fall behind, he guessed it was.

"Thank _you _for helping us enjoy everything a little bit better." He chuckled.

Blaine searched for words, looking anywhere but Burt, his cheeks burning "I… Hm… Kurt told me about what you said last night. That… That you didn't want to give me any talk, because you didn't think I needed one." Blaine paused to chance a glance at Burt and found himself unable to look away, trapped in all of the kindness, generosity and maybe a little bit of amusement he found in his eyes – he noticed for the first time how they looked a lot like Kurt's "I wanted to let you know that you're right. Or at least I hope you are. I… I don't want to deserve it, at least."

"Then don't."

"I won't." he smiled reassuringly "I really care about Kurt, and I know it's been… It hasn't been long. But sometimes we just find someone and we… connect. And I think that's what happened. You have an amazing son."

"I know." Burt smiled "But I also know how Kurt can get. Are you… I'm not trying to break you up, kid, don't get me wrong, because I really don't want you to break up. But Kurt can get a little difficult sometimes, and you should be prepared for that… for when it's not all sunshine and rainbows."

"I know. I don't expect him to be perfect. I'm not perfect."

"You're a great kid, too, Blaine. I don't think you give yourself enough credit." Burt slapped his back affectionately "If Kurt ever gives you any trouble, feel free to call me and we'll see what we can work out together."

"I… huh… I will."

"You seem surprised." Burt laughed.

"I am surprised! You're offering to take my side-"

"If you're right." Burt interrupted with a smirk "I'm not unreasonable, Blaine, and like I said, I know my son. He likes to play the victim card and he hates admitting he's wrong. I've had my fair share of nasty fights with him, and I know my way around them by now. I'm offering tips, nothing more."

"I think…" Blaine sighed and huffed a laugh "I think I landed myself in heaven…"

"You're dating Kurt, Blaine. There's nothing heavenly about that. Not when he starts about food and health and…" Burt chuckled "You're just… You're making him happy. Well, happi-_er_. So… of course I like you, kid."

xXxXx

Waking up in the morning was difficult and a true hassle. They'd stayed up late the night before, hanging out on street benches over a nightly view of the entire city spreading out beneath down. When the alarms set off at six am and someone punch the snoozer the inevitable happened and they overslept. It was Kurt who woke up at seven and gasped in horror, jumping to his feet and banging doors to wake everyone up. Somehow they were out the door in half an hours, Blaine assuring them that if they forgot anything he'd mail it. They returned their car and Blaine drove them to the airport where they didn't have a lot of time to say their goodbyes.

Blaine hugged each one of them. Thanked Burt for his kind words the night before and promised to come to him if there was any trouble. Praised Carole for her charm and heart. Told Finn he looked forward to seeing him around and catching a game with him.

Finally he pulled Kurt apart. Held his hands in his as he smiled. "I don't wanna say I miss you already… but…"

Kurt chuckled "Yeah…"

"Don't forget to go on skype… five pm for you is ten pm for me."

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world. It'll be a nice break from all the packing and moving…"

"I kind of wish I could be there to help. I bet you'd have the most interesting things to pack…"

Kurt seemed to ponder before smirking "I think you'd really find some of them a hell of a lot interesting… yes."

"Oh…?"

"Kurt, Blaine, come on, hurry up!" Burt called from where they looked just about ready to start towards the security gates.

"I guess this is it, right?"

"I guess it is."

"I'll see you soon." Blaine smiled.

"Yeah…" Kurt sighed, his smiled fading slightly, before he given in and pulled Blaine into the tightest hugs "I'll miss you… so much." Blaine hugged back just as tightly, merely nodding against Kurt's shoulder before he felt him pull back slightly, and in barely a second their lips were pressed in an urgent kiss, the rest of the bustling world disappearing. "I…" he mumbled as he pulled back "I didn't get to tell you, the other night… but… I'm crazy about you too, Blaine. You… You take my breath away, and I can't wait to… feel even more."

Blaine pulled him in for another kiss, a long and earth-shattering, time-splitting kiss.

The intercom voice above their heads announced a last call for passengers and it brought them back to reality as they pulled away hesitantly. They kept contact to the very last moment, fingertips aching as they finally parted and Kurt was walking away, his head turning back to look at Blaine every two seconds, and he stared after him with a bittersweet smile, his hand raised in farewell. A farewell that he knew wasn't forever, so… a farewell that he was ok with it. He could wait.

He pulled out his cell phone and typed fast.

Beyond the security gates, as they were almost reaching the bus that would take them to their plane, Kurt's phone buzzed with a text.

_In two weeks you've somehow managed to change everything about me and my world. I can't even begin to imagine what you'll do with every other day we can have together. Thank you, for these, days, for this summer… for letting me show you some clichés are worth it. – B_

_If I'm a beautiful snowflake like you said, you better watch it, because you're melting me. (oh god, that's so cheesy!) Thank you, too, for showing me how great some things can be. I'm really glad your phone rang that day. –K_


	21. Epilogue: lucky neighbors

Kurt tightened the towel around his hips as he left the small bathroom. Rachel crouched over their small dining table, in their small living/dining room, which was connected to their small kitchen and small bedrooms. She was scribbling on a small piece of paper with regularly sized pen. "Oh, you're out!" she smiled, straightening back up and dropping the pen "I was writing you a note, but since you're here. I'm going out. Grocery shopping."

"Oh… huh, ok. I guess."

"Do you need something?"

"Hmmm… no. I don't think so." He muttered, rubbing his neck as he thought, the water from his hair dripping over his hand "Well, maybe you could pick me up some… mmm… condoms…? Since you're going out."

"It's already on the shopping list, please, Kurt! Who do you take me for? I'm more than well aware Blaine comes back tomorrow." She giggled "I'm torn between staying here getting to know him as well as I can or leaving you two alone to make gay babies."

"You will go." Kurt said at once, but the blush was immediate as he realized the forwardness of his words "I mean… not that we… well… we will… maybe… I hope. But."

"Kurt." She beamed sweetly stepping forward with an understanding hand on his shoulder "Your boyfriend is coming, after spending most of your relationship apart, you'll finally be together again. And he's hot. He's really hot. You get to be excited. And horny."

"Rachel!" He gasped "Go… leave now!" he took her shoulders and spun her around, finding himself more amused now than embarrassed and chuckled as Rachel giggled and gasped.

"Are you going…? Now? You just showered, Kurt!"

"Rachel!"

"Naughty you!" She shot over her shoulder just before Kurt shut the door right after her and sighed, rolling his eyes.

He made his way to his bedroom shaking his head and smiling. Rachel was so very right when it came to Kurt being horny and excited and everything he could be about Blaine coming back the very next day, but she was naïve to think he hadn't already taken care of some of that excitement in the shower. She was naïve to think he needed her out of the house for that (they'd lived together for one week now, and with the amount of time she spent home, he had given up by day three, and instead chose to find successful ways to make it go by unnoticed. So what if he had to take his showers a little longer? Or put his bedtime music a little louder?).

Of course had he know she was heading out he would've waited, and he would have actually taken all of the liberties he was dying to take. Alas, no such luck… he had a lot of cleaning and unpacking to do anyway, and now he might as well use his time alone to do it as he very well pleased and taking a break from all the show tunes that had been blasting in their home for the last week. Don't get me wrong, Kurt loooved show tunes, but so did Rachel and as a result they always played show tunes. He hadn't even noticed how much of a break from them he needed till he was presented with the possibility to chose something for himself and himself alone.

He opened his 'home alone' clothes drawer and gasped as he noticed it was practically empty. He had taken way too many liberties with Rachel. How was this possible? Were they really that comfortable with each other? Between confused, alarmed and amused Kurt sighed and picked up the only pair of short available (which were short shorts, like really short shorts) and his Likes Boys T-Shirt from New Direction's Born This Way performance at Regionals his Junior Year.

In less than ten minutes he was rocking out to Lady Gaga, broom in hand serving as a microphone rather than actually sweeping the floor.

"I _want your loving, I want your revenge, you and me could write a bad romance!_" He sang along, top of his lungs, hopping on one of their kitchen stools. "_Ohowowoohoho Caught in a bad roma-_ Rachel? Are you back already? Did you forget something?" the front door closing, audible somehow over the loud music. Kurt hopped of the stool just as the music was turned off. "Rachel, just yell something so I know it's not a ser-" He stopped dead on his tracks as he rounded the door frame from kitchen to living room and found, right there, standing by their stereo, hand still on it, none other than Blaine Anderson. "… Blaine…?"

"Hi!" He beamed, holding his hand in a shot but excited wave "Rachel's lovely, by the way."

Kurt stuttered and gasped and looked from Blaine to the door, next to which was big black bag and only slightly smaller red backpack, to Blaine, to everywhere. "You… Tomorrow… what… here."

"You're eloquent." Blaine chuckled, starting to move towards Kurt.

Kurt was moving before he knew it and his arms threw themselves around Blaine and held him tightly, burying his nose in Blaine's hair and inhaling deeply. He felt as Blaine's arms wrapped themselves around his waist, squeezing strongly. The broom slipped out of Kurt's weak grasp and brushed against his leg and it clicked and he remembered. He was wearing short shorts, and a stupid T-shirt. And his hair was still damp and not even properly combed… And… "Oh no!" he gasped and threw his hands in front of himself, keeping Blaine away "I look like an idiot!"

"What?"

"Oh god!" he groaned hiding his face in his hands and took off sprinting towards his bedroom.

"What Kurt?" Blaine called after him as Kurt threw himself on top of his bed pulling a pillow over his head.

"DON'T COME IN HERE!" but it was too late as Blaine was climbing on top of Kurt and dropping his full weight on him with a grunt and a chuckle. "Ilooklikeanidiot."

"What are you talking about?" Blaien laughed, trying to pry the pillow out of Kurt's unyielding grasp "You look perfect!"

"My clothes are stupid, Blaine." He chanced peeking and found Blaine smiling, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Well, I haven't seen you in more than a month, Kurt, so you could be wearing a garbage bag and you'd be perfect in my eyes." He cooed, finally taking Kurt's pillow away, and throwing it aside "Besides… I love the T-Shirt…" he smirked "and I _worship_ these shorts."

Kurt his face in his hands "They're ridiculous! This is why you **can't **surprise me!"

"I can prove objectively and without a shadow of a doubt they're awesome." Blaine smiled. And Kurt felt Blaine's body shift slightly, before he suddenly felt a careful, tantalizing hand coming to rest on his thigh. "If you'd been wearing pants, I wouldn't have been able to do this." He smirked as his hand pressed a little more firmly, fingers digging slightly into Kurt's flesh as Blaine's other hand combed through his hair gently.

Kurt's breath hitched slightly and he moved his hands to find Blaine's amazingly bright eyes staring at him amused, sweet, passionate, caring, fun and sexy. He managed to gasp out "You have a point…" somehow.

Blaine laughed, and his breath tingled Kurt's lips. Kurt's hands moved of their own accord as gentle fingers came to caress Blaine's cheeks and neck.

"Hey…" Blaine breathed.

"Hi…" Kurt beamed, finally realizing what had just happened. Blaine was right there. a day earlier. Lying on top of him, in his bed, so incredibly real. He reached up and captured Blaine's lips in his, feeling his smiling into the kiss and smiling just as much because of it. He wrapped his arms tightly around Blaine's neck pulling him closer, and he felt Blaine's hand on his thigh slide over to his hip holding on in a gentle grip. It was everything he remembered and then more. And when they pulled apart, Blaine sucking on Kurt's lower lips until the very last second they were both grinning like a pair of big idiots "You're back!"

"I'm back…"

"How… I mean, I know how… but what… I…" Kurt sighed and laughed "Never mind, I can't make sense right now."

"I don't really need you to…" Blaine muttered before diving back in for Kurt's mouth, his tongue darting out almost instantly to lick at his lips, and Kurt complied instinctively. Blaine's tongue mapped out the hoot inside of Kurt's mouth, before it retreated followed closely by Kurt's, and for a while they danced a little bit, until Blaine's urgency got the best of him and he sucked between his own lips. It went straight to Kurt's groin and he bucked, pulling away to gasp and breathe sharply.

"Blaine…!"

Blaine didn't really let him get that much oxygen before he crushed their lips together again. He took Kurt's lip between his teeth for a second or two before letting go, pressing another gentler kiss on the abused skin and moving on to press open mouth kisses over his jaw, tongue always coming to lap at the skin, tasting it. Kurt buried his hands in Blaine's hair, silky curls around his fingers.

Kurt could feel Blaine's arising erection pressing against his hip and he knew it was impossible for Blaine not to feel his on his own hip. He moved his hands to grab at Blaine's ass, holding on to it tightly and pushing their hips closer, gasping at the friction. Blaine moaned, his mouth faltering against Kurt's Adam's apple and his hands suddenly going to grab Kurt's thighs, pulling them up, and Kurt's muscles moved of their own accord as they wrapped themselves around Blaine, replacing their hands as a means to keep their hips together and moving. Before they knew it, their cocks were aligned and they had a steady though fast growing rhythm.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Blaine gasped out pulling back and freezing their movements. His lips looked deliciously swollen, his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were dark "How.. How far?"

"I don't… I… Rach- I don't have condoms… yet." Kurt sighed, trying desperately to communicate that that was the only reason why isn't answer wasn't a flat out "All the way."

"I… I h-have." Blaine panted out. It was almost like a question. Like he was making sure this wasn't just Kurt's excuse.

Kurt barely stopped himself from laughing at Blaine before almost pushing off himself "Then go get them!"

Blaine grinned before jumping to his feet and scrambling away, tripping over himself quite a few times. Kurt rolled over to bury his face in the sheets, laughing. He was still chuckling as he heard Blaine running back, kicking his shoes off without pausing to do so. Soon enough strong hands had taken a hold of his legs, just above the back of his knee and a mouth was pressing open mouthed kisses up his inner thigh. Kurt's chuckles were gasps and moans without him even registering the change. He was torn between flipping over, or letting Blaine continue to dig his fingers into his thighs like that, inching higher and higher, pushing his legs further and further apart with each kiss. Blaine's fingers slipped under the cotton fabric of Kurt's shorts, and briefs, and they both gasped as his hands grabbed the smooth, form skin of Kurt's ass. The only warning before Blaine's teeth scraped against the back of his upper leg was the hot ghost of his breath and Kurt squirmed and bucked against the mattress. The friction was delicious, but it was also not enough and that was what it took for Kurt to turn himself over to face Blaine once again, who now found himself with his face close to Kurt's crotch, and didn't even blink before burying his face, mouthing at Kurt's clothed cock.

Kurt gasped before grabbing Blaine's shoulders and pulling him up for searing kiss, his hands reaching down to Blaine's ass to press their hips back together and once again wrapping his legs around them. He brought his hands up Blaine's back, bringing his T-shirt with them, and Blaine did the same to his. As soon as they'd yanked them off over each other's heads they were crashing, bare chest to bare chest, hungry lips to hungry lips.

Kurt pulled them backwards, letting Blaine practically collapse on him in his haste to follow Kurt's movement without losing any point of contact. Their chuckle over the clumsiness of the whole thing died short as their hips found their place and rhythm again. In a swift movement he flipped them over, straddling Blaine now and sitting up to watch as his hands travelled, exploring Blaine's chest like it was one of the seven wonders of the world. Blaine took one of his hands in his and brought it up to his mouth to kiss the palm, and the fingertips and smile in a such a way that was almost chaste, were it not for the setting, but so overwhelmingly beautiful in its sentiment and genuine feeling.

Kurt returned the smile just as honestly before sinking to press open mouthed kisses over Blaine's chest and shoulders, his hands sneaking down south to unbutton Blaine's jeans. Upon this, Blaine made sure, as well, that Kurt's shorts were just as ready to come off, and they were soon in their thin briefs as pants and shorts collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Blaine gasped as Kurt's hand palmed him, only separated by the thin layer of cotton, and his hands shot instinctively to grab Kurt's ass, slipping under and pushing briefs down carelessly. He grabbed it and kneaded its flesh with intensity, like it was all his hands ever wanted to do, as the pressure brought their hips so close Kurt's hand had to leave for lack of space. Blaine was vaguely aware of Kurt fumbling for something on the bed before Kurt pulled back a little bit. "Give me your hand."

Blaine complied without questioning and as his hear the plastic click of a lid popping up he actually bucked up at the thought. Kurt squeezed a generous amount of lube onto his fingers. He clicked it shut, and threw it back to some far off place in the bed, before taking Blaine's wrist and guiding it around his back. He stopped as they were almost there, his eyes searching for Blaine's a little nervous and uncertain "I… Hum… Is this… Is this ok?"

"What?" Blaine frowned, but as soon as he did he understood and immediately nodded frantically "Yeah, yeah, whatever you want, I want. I don't – Yeah, that's , that's… ok."

"I just… I wasn't sure if you'd want to… top." Kurt smiled, seeming to relax a little, his hand on Blaine's wrist a little loser.

"It…" Blaine breathed, wanting nothing but continuing to move his hand towards its rightful place "It's not… always. I'm not… I don't… Not _only_." God, he his way with words was amazing!

Kurt almost laughed as he relaxed even more "Good…" he dipped down to kiss Blaine, hungrily, eager to return both of them to the discovery and reverie of their bodies. He gave Blaine's hand one last tug in the right direction before moving to push his underwear all the way down, kicking it off, stopping as gasping halfway through it when Blaine's fingers started teasing at the tender flesh of his entrance.

Blaine reveled in the sound and with one hand gripping Kurt's waist flipped them over once more, loving how Kurt's legs seemed to fit perfectly around his waist, wide open and inviting. He paused just enough to in a swift movement discard of his own underwear, before going back to tease Kurt's flesh and taking his lips to suck gently at Kurt's nipple. The feel of Kurt coming undone under him was a little too much for him and he thrust his finger into Kurt a little too fast. He froze as he hear Kurt's sharp intake of breath "I'm so sorry! God!"

"No, no, no. It's ok. Keep-keep going."

"But I- But you!"

"_Keep_ going!"

Blaine didn't really need telling twice and after one last worried glance at Kurt, who was three his head back and sucked his lower lip, trapping it under his teeth, he started to move his finger. He pumped it only a few times before Kurt was actually moving his hips down his finger and gasping "More! Blaine! Please!"

"Oh god, oh god, oh god…" Blaine muttered, over and over again as he complied, adding another finger and watching in wonder as Kurt was quick to once again take it all, writhing beneath Blaine, fisting the bed spread in his hands as if he was looking for some kind of hold on life.

"More!"

As Blaine added the third finger he understood just how soon Kurt would be asking for yet more, and that when he did, it would be his cock, and not his finger in Kurt. In that warm, tight heath. It made Blaine lose all inhibition and concern – well if Kurt was literally and of his own accord fucking Blaine's fingers, then who was he to be concerned? He pumped hard and with just as much conviction as Kurt's movements, and Kurt groaned louder than ever before.

"God, yes!"

Blaine was torn between keeping it going, steady and hard, and stopping just to watch. This was, by far the most puzzling, unexpected and, well, dirty thing he'd ever witnessed in his sexual life (which, maybe now he would've thought a little boring, in retrospect, if something as simple as Kurt liking it rough and hard could actually count as_ that_ kinky) – but it was also one of the most amazing and spectacular things he'd seen. The way Kurt couldn't seem to stand still, always looking for something to hold on too, or another way to _feel_ things, like nothing was ever enough but in the best way possible. Blaine had never known how much he craved this kind of abandon until now, until having his fingers inside of Kurt, and having him under him so raw, so instinctive.

He moved his fingers slightly, angling them and knew he'd done it as Kurt let out the highest gasp – or was it loud enough to count as a scream? He watched as Kurt's hand flew to cover his mouth, his teeth digging into his own flesh and He immediately took hold of Kurt's wrist and pulled it away, pinning it over his head "No… scream if you want… I wanna hear… you…. Oh god!" he gasped as Kurt surged forward pressing his mouth to his neck, sucking and licking it.

"More… you… more. Please… now!" Kurt mumbled against his Blaine in ragged breaths, desperation seeping through.

Blaine didn't need asking twice – he was never one to make people beg. He pulled himself away just enough to grab the condom, rip it open and pulled it over himself, slicking it up with lube. In no time he was surging forward again, moving to hover over Kurt, aligning their bodies. Kurt didn't look way from his once, not even for a split second, as he took Blaine's cock and guided it towards the right place. He moved on hand to Blaine's ass, and pushed him in, just slow enough not to hurt, but fast enough that Blaine's was gasping and groaning at the sudden rush of sensations. Once he was all inside, both of them throwing their head backs and holding their breaths, he only waited a few moments before pulling back, almost all the way. He paused, opening his eyes and making sure he could see Kurt's gloriously flushed face, and then he thrust inside – watched as Kurt's eyes fell shut once more, squeezed tight as he gasped. The hand at Blaine's ass holding on tight as for dear life. He did it again, and again and again… Every time Kurt's gasp would get louder and louder and his was barely aware that he was also on the verge of screaming

As he was about to pick up some pace, unable to control himself for much longer, Kurt's hands came to stop the movement, holding his hips in place, before pushing them out, all the way. He didn't even have time to frown or be confused before Kurt pushed him around and in a swift movement Blaine was lying on his back, Kurt throwing his leg over him. "My turn…" He muttered, his voice hoarse and a breathy. He reached behind, as he held his hips away from Blaine's flesh. Slow and tantalizing Blaine felt Kurt's grip be replace with tightness and heat and he squirmed and whined, moving his hands to Kurt's thighs just so he could hold on to _anything_.

Kurt built a low steady pace at first, taking Blaine's hands into his and pinning them on each side of his face, hovering just close enough for Blaine to kiss his neck every time he felt too overwhelmed by everything and needed something, anything!

"Kurt… KurtKurtKurt…." The name tumbled out of his lips as if it was the only thig he was ever meant to say.

He felt as Kurt angled himself and his breath caught and he paused for a millisecond in his movement, biting his lip down and burying his face Blaine's neck "Blaine…" he moaned.

He did again and again, and he was starting to go faster and Blaine was torn between loving the sweet, deliciously torturous pace that had now, and wanting it faster, and harder, and more.

"Blaine… I have to… faster… harder… ok?"

"Yesyesyesyesyes!" he gasped, Kurt's low, needy voice making any and all decisions for Blaine in a split second. Immediately Kurt started increasing the pace, not able to hold out himself now, every time Blaine hit the spot. Blaine remembered vaguely of liking… loving, worshiping the rhythm they had going before but now he didn't exactly now why, because this was everything. And he wanted to clasp his hands around Blaine's hips, bury them in his ass, hold on to him tight and hard and help him ride him, like they were born to do it, but he couldn't because Kurt was holding them so tight, against the bed, and Blaine didn't know what he wanted more – have control back over his body, or letting Kurt have it all and never do anything else but surrendering it to Kurt.

They kissed, a messy crash of lips and teeth and tongue, but in the middle of everything else it wasn't anything but perfect. Kurt sped up even more and if Blaine wasn't coming so undone and losing all sense of awareness or conscious he might have worried about his muscles being sore later on.

Suddenly the hold on one of Blaine's hands was gone and Kurt was fisting himself, pumping his own cock fast and rough and Blaine groaned at the sight, torn between watching and doing it himself – after a particularly loud moan from Kurt the latter won and he barely remember to lick his own hand, making it wet and slick, before wrapping it around Kurt and thrusting just as vigorously.

Kurt screamed "Oh God Blaine!" he held their heads together, forehead against forehead, his now free hand tangled in Blaine's dark curls "I'm gonna, I'm gonna… I can't…"

"Me too…" Blaine had time to gasp as much before one incredibly hard thurst into Kurt and he was arching his back and tensing every muscle in his body crying out a string of nonsense and Kurt's name and he barely even registered as he cried out "KurtGodKurt! I love you, I love you, I love you!" It tumbled out of his lips so naturally, so effortlessly… And he was more concerned with watched Kurt threw his head back, fisted Blaine's curls, tightened his hold on his wrist, arched his back and cried out, clenching in waves around Blaine and coming into his hand and across their stomachs.

They stood quietly and in place there for a few moments, breathing harshly, trying to regain their groundings, trying to come off their highs. Kurt smiled sweetly, his eyes half closed but with just as much expression as ever, as he slowly rose, Blaine slipping out of him. He carefully took out the condom and tied a knot to it as he made his way out of the bed and out of the bedroom.

Blaine looked lazily around himself for the first time. There was still a few boxes lined up against the window wall, And he realized with a tinge of shock that the window was wide open, and with the noises they'd been making there was no way in hell they hadn't just gave a spectacular show to the streets of New York. He couldn't bring himself to care more than to blush slightly and giggle.

"What're you giggling at…?" Kurt smiled slipping back inside with a moist towel, his stomach already perfectly clean.

"Your window was open the whole time. We were… loud… so."

"So, now my neighbors are horny." Kurt shrugged, climbing next to Blaine and tenderly cleaning him "They'll thank me one day for the wonders we will do for their sex lives."

Blaine laughed as Kurt put the towel away and moved to snuggle into Blaine's arms. Blaine held him close, burying his nose in Kurt's soft hair, breathing in deep. Kurt smiled and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist before holding himself up just enough to look into Blaine's eyes and saying softly "I love you too, by the way."

xXxXxXx

_So, yeah, he's the epilogue, I hope you like it and I hope you've enjoyed this little story as well. Tell me what you thought of it, please ;)_

_Now that I've written a lot of pages worth of porn I'm going to go watch the most pornographic movie in theaters (Shame with Michael Fassbender) alone because it would be really awkward to go with anyone._

_Again, I'm sorry for how long it took to finish and keep updates coming steadily, but… yeah. So, it's been fun. I have one over two ideas I'm turning around my head at the moment, but I don't think I'll post them unless I finish or am like two pages away of finishing them because I don't wanna risk having this happen again. I know how terrible it is to start reading a WIP and then it's abandoned and you're like… what? why?_

_So, thanks for everything, have fun, enjoy and have lots of klainbows, klisses and klugs!_


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